I missed the first session this morning. Alicia and I took our youngest child, Cody, to school for his first day. Now, I’m back here ready to go.
This session started with worship. In the past, Leadership Summit always started with great worship. Now, maybe a song or two. It’s great that they’re starting this one off with worship. I wish they’d do more like that.
Leaders are problem solvers, but most importantly, they are the example.
Promote a clash if ideas
Lots of ideas thrown out by the team and argue for their points.
Creates an environment for openness
Encourage a noisy system
Never a head to the table. Argue with them so that you can hear what they think. Find out what they knew.
Only people get things done
The leader has the responsibility to put people into those positions to get the work done. Email, PP, letters, and videos don’t do the work. People get things done.
Maintain an open door policy
Door was always open so that people would be candid with him.
Probe the organization
Allowed for the subordinates to come directly to him that others didn’t realize as importance. At the end, he would go back and thank the person who brought matters up to him.
Reward best performers & get rid of worst performers
If the boss/leader doesn’t recognize the poor performers, the whole team will suffer
Be prepared to disappoint people
Check your ego at the door
Make sure you have fun along the way
He loved to work on old Volvo’s. It helped to settle his mind.
Fit no stereotypes
Don’t typecast him for anything. Measure him by performance, not the color of his skin.
He came into the army 10 years after desegregation. If he would have went in 10 years prior, he wouldn’t go very high in the military. Those who came before me must have said “If we can prove that we are good soldiers, then sooner or later desegregation would occur.”
Perpetual optimisim is a force multiplier
It says to the followers that it is solvable. It is infectuous in the organization.
Things always look better in the morning
Get a good nights rest. Never wake up saying that its going to be a bad day.
“Leadership rests on the solid foundation of trust.”
Avoid war if at all possible
(Lots of points here, but I was drawn into this one)
On the battlefield, leadership gets compressed. Your plans will change immediately after first contact with the enemy.
Trust the element of instinct
Be prepared to be lonely
At the end of the day, you are the one who has to make the decision. He called Norm every morning and night so that he could have someone to blow off steam to. There have to be days & ways where pastors can share their issues with others.
Powell is now working with young people. Training & helping kids to grow up being young disciplined kids who want to make a difference.
How do you wish that you be remembered?
I want to go out in the state of grace. Known that I served well, loved well, and lived well.
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