10 Leadership Tenets from Colin Powell

In a talk at Stanford GSB, former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed his philosophy of leadership: http://stanfordbusiness.tumblr.com/post/71341426520/10-leadership-tenets-from-colin-powell

1. Successful leaders know how to define their mission, convey it to their subordinates and ensure they have the right tools and training needed to get the job done.

2. “Leadership is all about people…and getting the most out of people.”

3. Leaders should never show fear or anger. “You have to have a sense of optimism.”

4. Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

5. Leadership is about conveying a sense of purpose in a selfless manner and creating conditions of trust while displaying moral and physical courage.

6. A false leader is someone who fails to get the necessary resources for his or her staff to do their jobs.

7. “The best leaders are those who can communicate upward the fears and desires of their subordinates, and are willing to fight for what is needed. If not, the organization will weaken and crumble.”

8. When something fails, a true leader learns from the experience and puts it behind him. “You don’t get reruns in life. Don’t worry about what happened in the past.”

9. Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.

10. “You know you’re a good leader when people follow you out of curiosity.”

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