Tips for success

Retired Army General Colin Powell’s personal and professional rules.

1. It ain't as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
4. It can be done!
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
6. Don't let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
7. You can't make someone else's choices. You shouldn't let someone else make yours.
8. Check small things.
9. Share credit.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
12. Don't take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.

Powell’s Rules for Picking People: “What I look for is intelligence and judgment and, most critically, a capacity to anticipate, to see around corners,” he says. “I also value loyalty, integrity, a high energy level, a certain passion, a balanced ego, and the drive to get things done.”

One last good Powell quote: “leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.”

From Air Force Magazine, March 1991 and The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell - Author: Oren Harari