Leadership on Colin Powell



Leadership on Colin Powell

Introduction

This paper intends to explore about the leadership of Colin Powell. The paper will particularly focus on the seven competencies inputted for displaying the best traits of leadership. All the seven individual competencies including ethics, self, diversity, across cultures, communication, teams and change will be discussed separately. These competencies might not necessarily be highlighted in the paper but they will be discussed throughout the paper. Moreover, the personal factors that contributed towards the power of Colin Powell will also be explored. All the things that went wrong in his life or the things he faced which are quite abnormal will be discussed. The purpose of this paper is to make the reader aware about the life of Colin Powell along with his leadership traits and the seven competencies inputted. This paper will help the readers analyze the leadership of Colin Powell.

Discussion

Colin Powell was born on April 5, 1937. He is retired four star general of the army of United States. Colin Powell also became the 65th United States Secretary of State from 2001 to 2005 under the leadership of President George W. Bush. Colin Powell possesses the privilege of being the first African American to serve as a United States Secretary of State and also the privilege of being the first African American to serve as the Joint Chiefs of Staff. The career of Colin Powell depicts his great leadership qualities making him able to reach various high ranked positions like National Security Advisor and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Carole, 2003 Pp. 5-9).

Early Life of Colin Powell

Colin Powell belongs to Harlem, a neighborhood in the New York City. Parents of Colin Powell belong to Jamaica. However, he also shares Scottish ancestry. Colin Powell graduated in 1954 and completed his Bachelor of Science degree in geology from the City College of New York in 1958. Colin Powell was not an extra ordinary student; however he completed his Masters degree in 1971 from George Washington University. Powell joined the Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) in college. He visited Vietnam and was awarded two Purple Hearts, a Bronze Star, a Soldier's Medal, and the Legion of Merit. Powell was provided with an opportunity to serve as the highest ranking African American officer in the history of United States (Carole, 2003 Pp. 5-9).

Career of Colin Powell

Colin Powell enjoyed two parallel careers within the field of military and politics simultaneously. He enjoyed various high level positions in the Carter, Bush and Reagan administrations. He also served as a national security advisor and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Colin Powell retired from the army in 1993. He is now working as a chairman of America's Promise; the alliance for youth. Colin Powell describes his joining of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) as the most wonderful experience of his life. He gained an opportunity to discover what he loved during his association with ROTC. Colin Powell even referred this period as a facilitator for ...