Don’t let your ego get too close to your position, so that if your position gets shot down, your ego doesn’t go with it.
COLIN POWELLTrying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.
More Colin Powell Quotes
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We are not going to dwell on those things that divide us. We are going to rejoice in those things that keep us together to make this a better country – to reach down and back to touch every young person in need!
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Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.
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But just as they did in Philadelphia when they were writing the constitution, sooner or later, you’ve got to compromise. You’ve got to start making the compromises that arrive at a consensus and move the country forward.
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The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them forever, but it is your personal example they will follow.
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Bad news isn’t wine. It doesn’t improve with age.
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Don’t just count your days, make your days count.
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Preferring members of any one group for no reason other than race or ethnic origin is discrimination for its own sake. This the Constitution forbids.
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Don’t bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.
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Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them.
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My own experience is that you get as much information as you can and then you pay attention to your intuition, to your informed instinct.
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Excellence is not an exception, it is a prevailing attitude.
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A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.
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I have never seen a good organization where the standards weren’t high.
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Have a sense of humor to break the tension in times of great toil.
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It is not the role of the United States to dictate change, but to enter into discussions with our friends.
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Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is all about people-motivating people to get the job done. You have to be people-centered.
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If you get the dirty end of the stick, sharpen it and turn it into a useful tool.
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Respect for leaders by followers can’t be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.
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It is good if your enemy underestimates you. The dumber they think you are the more surprised they are when you kill them.
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Trust is the glue that holds an org together & the lubricant that moves it forward.
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Give me the right people and I don’t much care what organization you give me. Good things will happen. Give me the wrong people and it doesn’t matter what you do with the organization. Bad things will happen.
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Pissing people off doesn’t mean you’re doing the right things, but doing the right things will almost inevitably piss people off.
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An organization that is not facing up to people who are not getting the job done, is going to have difficulties.
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Don’t be afraid to challenge the pros, even in their own backyard.
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You can be sure that the American spirit will prevail over this tragedy.
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The chief condition on which, life, health and vigor depend on, is action. It is by action that an organism develops its faculties, increases its energy, and attains the fulfillment of its destiny.
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