A Leader Whom I Admire: General Colin Powell
There are many character and leadership traits I admire in Colin Powell, beginning with his childhood. Colin Powell's parents are Jamican immigrants; he was born in New York City on April 5, 1937, and raised in the South Bronx. His education began in New York City public schools, and at City College of New York. While attending City College he participated in ROTC and received a commission as an Army Second Lieutenant upon graduation. Continuing to further his education he subsequently received a Master of Business Administration degree from George Washington University.
General Powell's has developed a philosophy for being a leader; I have selected and redefined some to use as guidelines in my position as a manager.
"Being responsible sometimes means pissing people off."
I can relate to this in my role as a manager and know that I can not please everyone who works for me. I know that I can not get everyone to like me in my group and try to make decisions that are focused on "the big picture". My goal is to maintain this focus and make decisions that benefit productivity without completely sacrificing morale.
"The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you
have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you
can help them or concluded that you do not care. Either case is a
My philosophy with the people that work for me is to listen to their problems, they are the one's with the experience and knowledge required to build produce quality aircraft. It is my responsibility to listen to them and remove the constraints they bring to me.
"Don't be buffaloed by experts and elites. Experts often possess
more data than judgment. Elites can become so inbred that they
produce hemophiliacs who bleed to death as soon as they are nicked
The experts and elites in our world introduce many changes and progra...