Professional Reading #1

It Worked for Me is a collection of about 30 vignettes and stories intended to offer leadership advice from one of America’s most famous military leaders of the last 35 years.  I think it does that and does it well.  Powell reflects on a life of service, both military and civilian, and recounts instances when he made decisions and describes the generalized thoughts and ideas that led to the choices he made.

This book, let’s call it a memoir, feels quite genuine and honest but Powell is reserved. He does not expose himself or cut particularly deep.  That leads to my next point.  I believe that he personally reflects deeply but he does not show that side to the world.  I found it incredibly reminiscent of my own grandfather.  The advice, the tone, the style, all of it reminded me of him and I think that it is because Powell was of the same generation.  They are both from the Silent Generation (1920s to early 1940s).  As a result, I told friends that this book made me feel as though my grandfather was giving me oddly specific advice about my career.

I found much of the advice useful as it didn’t feel like a list, though much of it comes in the form of a list.  The advice seemed more like sage, old proverbs and general guidelines for how to act.  I found a lot of it to be similar to my own style but I also think that Powell is using the benefit of hindsight and confirmation bias for justification.  I have difficulty believing that someone from his era was as, let’s say egalitarian, as he purports.  I think there was probably more yelling and demanding than this book implies.  Just a hunch though, I obviously cannot prove that.

I also really liked that Powell addressed his infamous UN speech about Iraqi WMDs.  He talks about how his failures, not in great detail, but he shows how others can avoid them and I think that is very forthright of him and I respect him for addressing it.

Overall, I think this is a worthwhile book.  Powell reads it himself and I found that very genuine.  You learn at the end that he insisted upon reading it himself and it was absolutely the right call.  This book has lessons that many can use but it feels very military, specifically Army, centric so I would really only recommend it for that audience.  It was on several recommended reading lists form last year and I think it justifies the recommendations it garnered.