General Powell and Me

All week, my heart and mind have been full of fond memories of General Colin Powell. In the late 90’s, I shared the keynote stage with the man the historians call, “the most important person who was never President.”

He had been the National Security Advisor in the late 80s, and then the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from ‘89 to ‘93. He would not be Secretary of State until 2001.

Keynote speaker, Colin Powell was the celebrity speaker for that Stockton Business Summit. He got the butts in the seats. Hundreds of copies of his recently-published book, My American Journey, had been bought by the conference as a gift for all the participants.

There were 5 keynote speakers, and I was the token female speaker. I had spoken just before lunch. General Powell took the stage right after lunch. He came out to a standing ovation and sustained applause. The group settled in their seats. I was in the front row, looking up, admiringly.

Out of his mouth come his first words: “I heard Mimi Donaldson was really funny this morning.” The audience applauded. I was awestruck. Did my name really just come out of this brilliant man’s mouth?

I don’t have it on tape, darn it. But the hundreds of mostly men in the audience may remember that moment from 1997. And I will never forget it.

The teachable moment here, that I have been telling audiences and clients is he could have led with his story—that’s what the people came for. But he was a natural proponent of “lead with the need.” And right then, he put his finger and his words on where the audience was—they had laughed with me when I spoke, right before lunch, right before General Powell took the stage. So his comment drew their applause. They appreciated that he KNEW and RECOGNIZED where they were, at that moment. And he was honest. He didn’t pretend to have been in my audience. He told the truth.

He went on to pinpoint the business climate in Stockton, and the challenges his audience faced. He was leading with their need. This man had humility. And he had respect for his audience. Backstage, we posed for a photo. I’m very proud of my association with this mensch: this genuinely good man.

And the words of the musical, Hamilton, sing in my head—all week. “Who lives, who dies, who tells your story?” Historians are telling the story of General Powell. What will be your story? What will you be remembered for? You are writing your story right now. Are you proud of what you are writing? That’s all we can strive for, I believe.

I assist people every day to write their stories. TEDx Talks are the story. Your company origins are the story. Why you started what you are doing now is the story.

Please allow me to assist you. Let’s have a 30-minute Clarity Call where you get value, and we discover if we are a match to work together.