I met Retired General Colin L. Powell today. Not so much met him as heard him speak then shook hands with him long enough for two photos to be taken. He was the final speaker at the Senior Executive Training school that was running this week. They set up a satellite room down the hall for 40 people in my group. So we watched on video for about 90 minutes then went to get our pictures taken. I also won his autograph and a copy of his auto-biography. (The book is paperback, the signature is on a sticker, like a bookplate. I'm probably going to buy the book in hardcover for the autograph. Am I the only one who thinks an autographed paperback is weird?)
Anyway, I went because I'd heard he was an interesting speaker. He is, very. At first I was dismayed because he mentioned logging on to his AOL account. Geez, this guy is probably one of the most informed man on the planet and he uses AOL at home? Scary. Turns out he is (or was) on AOL's board of directors, I guess it makes sense. His basic leadership points were nothing new. A leader does two things, set clear a clear mission and take care of the troops. Leaders must have integrity. Leaders should always do the right thing morally regardless of cost. Nothing new.
But when he talked about negotiation he used the incident where a U.S. plane was hit by a Chinese plane. The pilot of the Chinese plane was killed and U.S. crew landed at a Chinese air base. Fascinating stuff about how the back and forth works. He makes W sound like a trigger-happy moron. He illustrated "getting inside your enemy's decision cycle," and how that incident lead to a friendship with his Chinese counterpart.
The execs asked some really interesting questions, except for the lady who asked for his autograph, what an ass. One Indian gentleman asked about his views on the tension in India/Pakistan situation. Another asked about dealing with a negotiation when the other side is stating falsehoods. A Chinese man asked something about business in China, can't remember the question, but Powell's answer was really interesting. Touched on how US pushes our moral agenda in deal making and that China will fill its needs without regard to morals. Durfar and other human rights issues will not effect their business dealings. US needs to learn to listen carefully to others and not lecture. We must stop being afraid of China and other developing nations. They are number four right now and will be number one in 15-20 years. The reality of this must be embraced by businesses and government. I could have listened all day. Made me think and want to know more.
He also does really good impressions of President Reagan and Bush. I don't know how accurate his portrayal of Gorbachev and his wife are.
I will make an effort to see him again next time he comes here.
P.S. I took notes which is how I remembered even half of what he said.
P.P.S. My waiter at lunch (whom I chat with regularly) made me feel terribly old when he asked, "Who?" Turns out the guy is 18 and had no clue.
P.P.P.S. This text is pretty much a re-post of what I wrote over in Karenworld.
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