It Worked For Me by Colin Powell

It Worked For Me by Colin Powell

It Worked for Me is filled with vivid experiences and lessons learned that have shaped the legendary public service career of the four-star general and former Secretary of State Colin Powell. At its heart are Powell's Thirteen Rules--notes he gathered over the years and that now form the basis of his leadership presentations given throughout the world. Powell's short but sweet rules--among them, Get mad, then get over it and Share credit--are illustrated by revealing personal stories that introduce and expand upon his principles for effective leadership: conviction, hard work, and, above all, respect for others. In work and in life, Powell writes, it's about how we touch and are touched by the people we meet. It's all about the people.

A natural storyteller, Powell offers warm and engaging parables with wise advice on succeeding in the workplace and beyond. Trust your people, he counsels as he delegates presidential briefing responsibilities to two junior State Department desk officers. Do your best--someone is watching, he advises those just starting out, recalling his own teenage summer job mopping floors in a soda-bottling factory.

Powell combines the insights he has gained serving in the top ranks of the military and in four presidential administrations with the lessons he's learned from his immigrant-family upbringing in the Bronx, his training in the ROTC, and his growth as an Army officer. The result is a powerful portrait of a leader who is reflective, self-effacing, and grateful for the contributions of everyone he works with.

Colin Powell's It Worked for Me is bound to inspire, move, and surprise readers. Thoughtful and revealing, it is a brilliant and original blueprint for leadership.

General Colin L. Powell is one of the most well-known characters in American politics. Both President George W. Bush and President Bill Clinton appointed Powell as the twelfth Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. He was a key architect of Desert Storm, the spectacular Allied victory in the Gulf War, which began in January 1991 and lasted 43 days. General Powell was born in New York City in 1937 and raised in the South Bronx by his parents, who were Jamaican immigrants. He grew up in the New York City public school system and graduated from City College of New York in 1958 with a commission as an army second lieutenant.

General Powell was stationed in Germany and a number of positions in the United States early in his career, and he served two tours in Vietnam, in 1962-1963 and 1968-1969. From 1973 to 1974, he served as a battalion commander in Korea, and afterwards led the 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and the V Corps in Germany. In January 1987, President Ronald Reagan appointed General Powell as Deputy National Security Advisor, then in December 1987, he was named National Security Advisor, a position he held until January 1989. From October 1989 until his retirement on September 30, 1993, he was Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

General Powell has received various awards from the United States. He received numerous military and civilian medals for his public service, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received twice. Argentina, Bahrain, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Greece, Jamaica, Japan, Korea, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, the United Kingdom, and Venezuela have all honored him, and the Queen of England has given him an honorary knighthood (Knight Commanders of Bath). This is an excerpt from the Hardcover edition.