Leader Quotes by Colin Powell

Great leaders are almost always great simplifiers ...

— Colin Powell

It is the job of leaders to eliminate uncertainty.

— Colin Powell

Trust is the essence of Leadership.

— Colin Powell

Leadership is solving problems.

— Colin Powell

I would not presume from this distance, nor would America presume to say who should be the leader of the Iraqi nation.

— Colin Powell

As a leader you set the tone for your entire team. Communicate your vision.

— Colin Powell

Every human endeavor has leaders and followers, and your job as a leader is to inspire.

— Colin Powell

I think leadership is both a trained thing and a natural gift.

— Colin Powell

Never neglect details. When everyone's mind is dulled or distracted the leader must be doubly vigilant.

— Colin Powell

Effective leaders are made, not born. They learn from trial and error, and from experience.

— Colin Powell

I think whether you're having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.

— Colin Powell

The essence of leadership is building bonds of trust in your organization.

— Colin Powell

Leadership is all about people. It is not about organizations. It is not about plans. It is not about strategies. It is…

— Colin Powell

You can't get it all done yourself. The best leaders are not afraid of picking people who are better than they are…

— Colin Powell

Actually, there is no more important task for a leader than to pick people. To make sure you have the very best…

— Colin Powell

In other words, don't expect to always be great. Disappointments, failures and setbacks are a normal part of the lifecycle of a…

— Colin Powell

Have a vision; but it's not enough to have a vision, you have to communicate that vision to others. You have to…

— Colin Powell

The most important thing I learned is that soldiers watch what their leaders do. You can give them classes and lecture them…

— Colin Powell

“Miller’s example of humane leadership that does not always go by the book was not lost on me. When they fall down,…

— Colin Powell

We are not trapped in what the science of management says we can do. We are capable of doing what the art…

— Colin Powell

Everybody makes bad decisions. I am sure I have made my share of them over 40 years of service. Or I have…

— Colin Powell

Every organization needs to be introspective, transparent, and honest with itself. This only works if everyone is unified on the goals and…

— Colin Powell

I understand that and I have had very candid discussions with Saudi leaders in the past. I respect their culture and their…

— Colin Powell

I have always admired the Linking Pin theory of management specialist Rensis Likert. It says that in every organization there are leaders…

— Colin Powell

Even though the numbers are down with respect to favorability ratings, at every embassy and consular office tomorrow morning that we have,…

— Colin Powell

Good leaders set vision, missions, and goals. Great leaders inspire every follower at every level to internalize their purpose, and to understand…

— Colin Powell

It is the US government's desire for the Iraqi people to lead themselves, not for any outside power to be the leadership…

— Colin Powell

There's no doubt in my mind, though, that the Iraqi people would be better off with a different leader who did not…

— Colin Powell

You have achieved excellence as a leader when people will follow you anywhere if only out of curiosity.

— Colin Powell

Great leaders are those who are able to look reality in the face, however painful it may be, and deal with it.

— Colin Powell

The United States stands willing to work with a transformed Palestinian Authority with new leaders coming to the front.

— Colin Powell

Leadership is all about people … and getting the most out of people.

— Colin Powell

Leaders honor their core values, but they are flexible in how they execute them.

— Colin Powell

Respect for leaders by followers can't be mandated; it must be earned. It has to be given to leaders by their followers.

— Colin Powell

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

— Colin Powell

The United States is still seen as the leader at the world that wants to be free.

— Colin Powell

The great leaders that I have worked with are people who have a good sense of empathy with other people. They can…

— Colin Powell

You have to create circumstances where your first-tier leader knows what you are trying to accomplish, because he is the one who's…

— Colin Powell

Thee are such horrible weapons. And so no sane leader would ever want to cross that line to using nuclear weapons. And,…

— Colin Powell

The best leaders are those who break that mission down into the organization's constituent parts, so that everybody understands their role and…

— Colin Powell