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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.

Colin Powell

Always be looking for the opportunities, and always be optimistic about what you can do with that opportunity.
COLIN POWELL

Opportunity Optimistic Yourself
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.
COLIN POWELL

Care Goodness Organization People Right Yourself
A mirror reflects a man’s face, but what he is really like is shown by the kind of friends he chooses.
COLIN POWELL

Choice Friendship Himself Mirror Reflection
I have never seen a good organization where the standards weren’t high.
COLIN POWELL

Goodness High Myself Organization Standard
You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
COLIN POWELL

Choice Control Yourself
Good leaders must know how to reward those who succeed and know when to retrain, move, or fire ineffective staff.
COLIN POWELL

Goodness Leadership Move Success
Fit no stereotypes. Don’t chase the latest management fads. The situation dictates which approach best accomplishes the team’s mission.
COLIN POWELL

Accomplishment Latest Management Mission Team
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
COLIN POWELL

Force Multiply Optimism
Be careful what you choose: You may get it.
COLIN POWELL

Care Choice Yourself
Have a sense of humor to break the tension in times of great toil.
COLIN POWELL

Break Greatness Hard Time Tension Time
I want to see policies that encourage every American to vote, not make it more difficult to vote.
COLIN POWELL

Difficult Encouragement Myself Policy
Always focus on the front windshield and not the review mirror.
COLIN POWELL

Focus Future Mirror Review
In other words, don’t expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a unit or a company and what the leader has to do is constantly be up and say ‘we have a problem, let’s go and get it’.
COLIN POWELL

Disappointment Expectation Failure Greatness Himself Problem Word
Leadership is the art of accomplishing more than the science of management says is possible.
COLIN POWELL

Accomplishment Art Leadership Management Possible
The essence of leadership is building bonds of trust in your organization.
COLIN POWELL

Bond Essence Leadership Organization Trust Yourself
Is there something wrong with being a Muslim in this country? The answer is “no.” That’s not America.
COLIN POWELL

Country Racism Wrong
Every organization should tolerate rebels who tell the emperor he has no clothes.
COLIN POWELL

Clothes Himself Organization Rebel Tolerance
Don’t bother people for help without first trying to solve the problem yourself.
COLIN POWELL

Help Myself People Problem Solve
The best method of overcoming obstacles is the team method.
COLIN POWELL

Best Method Obstacle Team
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!
COLIN POWELL

Country Division Ourselves Person Rejoice Togetherness
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.
COLIN POWELL

Follow Forever Important Learning Personal Soldier
One of the greatest talents of all is the talent to recognize and to develop talent in others.
COLIN POWELL

Development Greatness Oneself Recognition Talent
Trying to get everyone to like you is a sign of mediocrity.
COLIN POWELL

Average Sign Yourself
One important element of leadership is taking care of the troops.
COLIN POWELL

Care Element Important Leadership Oneself
Always do your best. Somebody is watching you.
COLIN POWELL

Best Watch Yourself
Experts often possess more data than judgment.
COLIN POWELL

Data Expert Judgement Possession
You don’t know what you can get away with until you try.
COLIN POWELL

Ability Let Go Try Yourself

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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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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