Colin Powell Leadership

Most Americans will never understand the human cost of combat. The moral, mental and physical demands of combat can break the strongest spirit or cultivate leadership potential. Retired Army General Colin Powell’s innate leadership abilities were challenged and honed from his first Vietnam War combat tour. Throughout his time in Vietnam, the critical leadership abilities of building trust and loyalty in one’s followers while displaying competence allowed Colin Powell to become an extremely effective organizational leader. Colin Luther Powell was born in New York in 1937 to Jamaican immigrants. He graduated from the City College, New York in 1958, receiving an active duty commission as an Army second lieutenant. He chose the college’s ROTC program, because he enjoyed the structure and discipline it provided. Powell was a Soldier for 35 years, successfully holding a multitude of staff and command positions and rising to the rank of four-star general. He successfully served as a National Security Adviser, Commander of U.S. Army Forces Command, and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. From 1962 to 1963, Captain Colin Powell served as a South Vietnamese Army adviser; during the Vietnam War. He developed a strong bond with Vietnamese Captain Vo Cong Hieu, a well-respected and capable commander. Under Hieu’s guidance, a young Powell learned the importance of building trust and loyalty. On one occasion, a US Marine gunner accidentally killed two South Vietnamese soldiers in Powell’s unit. Powell was forced to confront the betrayal felt by the Vietnamese soldiers under his care. Later, Captain Powell was able to rebounded from this incident when a patrolling Vietnamese private was saved by a protective vest. Powell had insisted that the vest be worn while on patrol. This established Powell as a competent leader who cared for Soldiers and generated trust and loyalty throughout his unit. While on patrol in, Powell was wounded by stepping on a punji