[ By Larry Goldfarb ]

There are few people that command the respect and inspire the masses as Colin Powell, former Secretary of State, Four Star General and legendary public figure.  He recently spoke at the Hudson Union Society in New York City about his views on leadership.

What was so striking about Powell’s presentation is that he spoke about certain pillars or iron markers which guide him in his daily decision making.  Each one seemed to be to his detriment in some way, yet he always stands firm and never wavers. He is confident that the right way will prevail.   For instance, when a commanding general chastised and gave Powell a low job rating for giving him some bad news about certain officers on his base, Powell retorted that he respected the General’s opinion to write anything he wanted. Powell knew that this type of rating would get him fired form the Army. Ultimately, the General was found derelict and Powell was promoted. 

Another Powell axiom is to share credit and absorb blame.  When President GW Bush asked the Secretary of State for a briefing on his trip to Mexico, Powell selected junior officers to give the brief.  Powell noted that he morale rose precipitously at Foggy Bottom following this delegation, 

He also said that he avoids having his ego too close to his position.  In short he argues his point but respects the other point of view and can be friends when the ultimate decision is taken. He feels that this leads to healthy debate but allows the other side to rally around the decision when it is taken.  One final point to summarize: when you get mad, don’t hold on to it, get over it.  Powell stresses that holding grudges leads to bad decisions.  Powell actually mentioned many more points and has summarized his philosophy in his book, It Worked for Me: In Life and Leadership.

I left the hall inspired and saddened.  I was inspired that we have great men like Powell who leads on principal and views these principals as tenants of daily life.  I was further inspired by the fact that Powell’s standard is one that is revered in the military where many of his colleagues feel that same as he does.  Unfortunately, the military is led by the civilian government and many of the rules espoused by Powell are alien to our leadership.  For instance, the issue of allowing your position to get too close to your ego is routinely abused by Congress.  In the current political, Venom spews across the aisle and the opposing party is targeted and destroyed for their position. Thus, when the debate is over, the sides do not come together and recriminations flow. The same can be true for holding grudges, attributing blame, and sharing credit.  

The real question for Congress is how would the American people treat a congressman or a member of the Executive Branch if he accepted blame for a mistake or voted for something for which he believed -- even if it wasn't popular or required giving  credit to a colleague across the aisle.  

I believe he would be regarded as a statesman and revered.  It will only take one great man to prove his colleagues wrong espouse Powell’s principals and then gain accolades.  That man, if he is properly lauded could cause a groundswell