Colin L. Powell (1937–2021)

I listened to the audiobook read by Colin Powell. I had just recently read [b:It's Your Ship: Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy|183392|It's Your Ship Management Techniques from the Best Damn Ship in the Navy|D. Michael Abrashoff|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435059869s/183392.jpg|177236], so I could not help but compare the two. Both were written by men of the U.S. military. Both books intended, at least partially, to provide leadership guidance. Both men have become public speakers and authors in their post-military careers. My primary goal in reading each was not enjoyment but rather to learn something that I could use in my own life. I enjoyed both and got value from both, but felt I received more usable insight from It's Your Ship.

Colin Powell has had an incredible career, and his wisdom and experience are evident throughout this book. You do feel that you actually get to know Colin Powell through the stories he relates about his life, his values, his successes and his failures. He seems like a unique combination of approachable and commanding respect. However, some of his methods are hard for me to translate into something I could use. Part of the problem was that his lessons are so embedded in the ways of the military and part of it was that he operated at a very different level that I do. It wasn't that he emphasized this characteristic of his relationships and interactions. In fact, if anything he downplayed them, but ultimately he and I live on different planets and while it was interesting to hear about his life, I didn't feel I could that much from it.… (mais)