Colin Powell is a lifelong leader. He served as a military leader, chairman of Joint Chiefs of Staff and the United States Secretary of State. He knows how to recruit, retain and inspire a top performing team.
What are his secrets? In a recent speaking engagement in Buffalo, NY, Powell demonstrated how being a great leader depends on the ability to create great followers. Here are some of his key points on the subject.
How to create great followers
1. The first step to creating followers is creating a purpose. As a leader you need to have a reason for people to believe in the goals you and your organization want to accomplish.
2. Lead with intensity and passion. It is your job to inspire followers and make them feel important so they are self-motivated and driven to perform. This is true for all groups of people – from employees to sporting teams to troops.
3. Recognize your followers. Powell believes that it is important to recognize the hard work and the human in your followers. One practice Powell has done for years is write personal notes recognizing individuals on his team for their contributions. He is often pleasantly surprised to see his notes framed above an individual’s desk. A meaningful, handwritten note only takes two minutes to write and goes a long way to securing employee loyalty.
"Don’t just motivate your followers; inspire them to be an important part of your organization. Create that inspirational attitude by setting high standards and by following through. Followers want to see leaders with integrity, with moral and physical courage, who recognize them and reward them and make them feel valued."
- Colin Powell
4. Connect with followers to find performers and non-performers. Powell understands that sometimes leaders have to make difficult decisions otherwise their followers will lose faith in their leaders.
"Great leaders also prune their organization and weed out people who are not performing. Followers know who is performing and who is not, and they will slack off if they see a leader that doesn’t take charge."
- Colin Powell
These are lessons from a leader who has led groups of people ranging from 40 to three million. For more information on Powell’s leadership style, try Oren Harari’s book “The Leadership Secrets of Colin Powell”.
