Colin Powell, The Reluctant Warrior

In the last decade, former Secretary of State Colin Powell may have found himself feeling like a man out of sync with the times.

With the news of his passing yesterday, I found myself reflecting on the profound impact he had on so many over such a long career. Regardless of one’s politics, there’s probably at least one clip of “the reluctant warrior” that speaks to you in some way. That’s because, in many ways, his life was quintessentially “American” – making him one of the great relatable public figures.

The son of Jamaican immigrants, he was raised in the South Bronx. A product of public schools, he was also the first Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to have commissioned through ROTC. He served 4 presidential administrations but he was no peacetime political General. As a young officer he cut his teeth in Vietnam, which we can speculate informed his later leanings toward diplomacy and containment over military action.

But even as I sit here and reflect on his life and service, my thoughts aren’t consumed with his military and diplomatic achievements. Rather, I’m remembering a calm, confident voice who consistently challenged others to aspire to more – more than base partisanship; more than monolithic thinking; more than blind allegiance to an organization. He challenged us to think differently and to think optimistically.

Indeed, we’re strongest when the face of America isn’t only a soldier carrying a gun but also a diplomat negotiating peace, a Peace Corps volunteer bringing clean water to a village, or a relief worker stepping off a cargo plane as floodwaters rise.

Colin Powell

It’s not unusual for the veteran community to be backed into a corner at the beginning of any new conflict. We are often expected to cry havoc and support swift and violent action against our latest enemy. When we push back against that narrative and call for better diplomacy, we are dismissed out of hand; our opinions suddenly of no political value.

Luckily I grew up in the time of Colin Powell. He rose to incredible heights without ever sacrificing the ability to challenge assumptions. That calm, confident voice was perfectly positioned to inspire an entire generation of future leaders to think a little harder, pause a little longer, and push back when needed.

But at the end of his time with us, he may have felt like his ideas were out of date. We’ve seen the pendulum swing far of late. His brand of servant leadership is no longer en vogue.

For now.

The thing about pendulums is that they swing back. It wouldn’t have been long, in the grand scheme of things, before Secretary Powell would have found himself back in sync. And that’s why, even though he probably felt the disconnect, he wasn’t deterred from remaining active. 

I think whether you’re having setbacks or not, the role of a leader is to always display a winning attitude.

Colin Powell

The optimism of a Colin Powell is contagious. I met him in Columbus at the grand opening of the National Veterans Memorial and Museum – and at 80+ he was still…electric. He was still ready to fight for a cause.

That’s the thing you should know about reluctant warriors: they are still warriors. They will step into the ring, they will enter the fray, they will show up when others don’t. Our nation is never lost as long as we can look around and find ourselves a Colin Powell in our ranks.

So, I hope in the wake of his passing that you remove your politics from the moment. Reflect on what it took to serve along his path. Imagine the belief necessary to accomplish it all, and try to tap into a bit of that optimism for yourself. After all, we need another Colin Powell to answer the call from time to time.