Leadership advice usually sucks. It’s often a pile of buzzwords like "synergy" or "pivoting" written by people who have never actually had to make a decision that mattered. But then there’s It Worked for Me, the 2012 book by the late General Colin Powell.
He didn't just write about management theory. He lived it. From the foxholes of Vietnam to the mahogany tables of the State Department, Powell saw the messiness of human nature up close.
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Most people remember him for the high-level politics, but this book is surprisingly down-to-earth. It’s basically a collection of parables and "rules" that feel more like a conversation over coffee than a lecture at West Point. It’s gritty. It’s honest. Honestly, it’s one of the few books that actually understands that leadership is about people, not spreadsheets.
The Famous 13 Rules and Why They Aren’t Just Posters
You’ve probably seen the "13 Rules" floating around LinkedIn. They’re the backbone of It Worked for Me, but seeing them on a graphic doesn't do them justice. Powell didn't just wake up and decide these sounded cool; he forged them through decades of trial and error.
Take Rule No. 1: "It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning." It sounds like a cliché your grandma would tell you. But when you’re a General dealing with a literal crisis, that perspective is a survival mechanism. Powell talks about the "emotional fatigue" of leadership. If you make a decision while you’re tired and panicked, you’re going to mess it up. Wait for the sun to come up. Usually, the problem hasn't changed, but your brain has.
Then there’s Rule No. 8: "Check small things." This isn't about micromanaging. It’s about the fact that if the small things are falling apart, the big things are already dead; you just don't know it yet. He tells stories about inspecting troops and looking at their socks. If the socks are clean, the soldier is disciplined. If the soldier is disciplined, the unit is ready. It’s a chain.
The "Tell Me the Truth" Culture
One of the most refreshing parts of the book is how much Powell hates "yes men." He spent his career surrounded by people who were terrified to tell him bad news.
He describes a culture where leaders are insulated by layers of middle management who "polish" the truth until it’s a lie. Powell argues that a leader’s primary job is to create an environment where the lowest-ranking person in the room can tell the boss they’re wrong without getting fired. He calls it "clashing." If you aren't clashing, you aren't getting to the truth.
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Digital Leadership Before the Digital Age
Even though It Worked for Me came out over a decade ago, Powell was strangely ahead of his time regarding technology. He was an early adopter of email at the State Department—much to the chagrin of the "old guard" who preferred formal memos and assistants.
He used technology to flatten the hierarchy.
He’d email people directly. No filters. No gatekeepers. He understood that speed is a weapon in leadership. If it takes six days for a memo to reach your desk, the opportunity is gone. He basically describes the "Slack culture" before Slack was even a thing, but with a focus on discipline rather than just endless pings.
The Humility of the "Hot Dog" Story
If you want to know why this book feels different, look at the stories Powell chooses to tell. He doesn't just brag about meeting world leaders. He tells a story about a hot dog stand in New York.
He describes watching a street vendor work with incredible efficiency and pride. To Powell, that vendor was just as much a leader of his own domain as a four-star general. It’s about "the gift of the work."
He talks about his first job mopping floors at a bottling plant. He didn't just mop; he aimed to be the best damn mopper they’d ever seen. That’s a recurring theme: you don't get the big jobs until you’ve proven you can respect the small ones. It’s a slap in the face to the "quiet quitting" or "doing the bare minimum" mindset that's popular now. Powell argues that excellence is a habit, not a destination.
Dealing with the Iraq Shadow
It would be dishonest to talk about It Worked for Me without mentioning the controversy that follows Powell’s legacy—specifically his 2003 speech to the UN regarding weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.
Powell doesn't dodge this in the book.
He addresses it with a level of somber reflection that you rarely see in political memoirs. He calls it a "blot" on his record. It’s a massive lesson in the book’s own philosophy: even the best leaders, using the best processes, can be fundamentally wrong if the intelligence and the "truth" they are given is flawed. It’s a warning about the limits of leadership. It shows that you can follow your own rules and still fail. That’s a heavy, human realization.
Why This Book Actually Works for Regular People
You don't need to be in the military to get something out of this. In fact, most of the "business" applications are about the psychology of the "follower."
- The Busybody Boss: Powell warns against leaders who confuse activity with results. Just because you're busy doesn't mean you're doing anything.
- The Power of "I Don't Know": He emphasizes that saying you don't have the answer is often the most powerful thing a leader can do. It builds trust.
- The Desk-Bound Leader: If you’re a manager and you haven't left your office today to talk to the people doing the work, you aren't managing. You're just observing.
He talks about "walking the dirt." You have to see the reality of the work. You can't lead from a dashboard.
Actionable Takeaways for Your Next Monday
If you're looking to actually apply the lessons from It Worked for Me, don't try to overhaul your whole life at once. Start with the "human" stuff.
First, fix your information flow. Identify the people in your life or your job who are afraid to tell you the truth. Go to them. Ask them, "What am I doing that’s making your job harder?" And then—this is the hard part—don't get defensive. Just listen.
Second, adopt Rule No. 11: "Hire for intelligence and heart." Powell argues you can teach skills, but you can't teach character or raw brainpower. When you’re looking at your team, stop obsessing over the specific software they know. Look at how they handle a mess.
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Third, simplify your communication. Powell was famous for his "one-pagers." If you can’t explain a complex problem on one sheet of paper (or in one short email), you don't understand the problem well enough yet. Force yourself to cut the fluff.
Finally, take care of the "socks." Look for the small, nagging problems in your daily routine or your team's workflow that everyone ignores because they're "too small." Fix them. It sets a tone that excellence is the baseline, not the exception.
The book isn't a magic wand. It’s a reminder that leadership is a craft that requires constant maintenance and a very thick skin. Powell’s voice is gone, but the "rules" remain a pretty solid map for navigating a world that feels increasingly chaotic.
Practical Next Steps:
- Audit Your "Rules": Write down your own top five principles for how you handle stress. Do they hold up when things go wrong?
- The "Morning Test": Next time you receive a frustrating email at 4:30 PM, do not reply. Wait until 9:00 AM the next day. Observe how much your perspective shifts.
- Read the "Human" Chapters First: If you’re short on time, skip to the middle of the book where Powell talks about people and culture rather than the biographical military history. That’s where the real gold is buried.