Colin Powell is nothing less than a classic American success story. The son of immigrants, Powell was born in Harlem and grew up in the South Bronx. After stints in Korea, Vietnam and Germany he made his most important marks in the Pentagon bureaucracy, and became Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff before becoming secretary of state in 2001. His biography, My American Journey, earned out its $6.5 million advance (according to the op. ed. editor of The New York … mehrTimes). This book will be modeled after Get Better or Get Beaten, with 20-22 short chapters (18 of those devoted to the leadership secrets), with several subheads per chapter, and Powell Rules at the end of each chapter. Sample chapters include: Don t be afraid to push the envelope: You don t know what you can get away with until you try. It s people, not organizations, that determine success: Organizations don t really accomplish anything. Plans don t accomplish anything, either. Theories of management don t much matter. Discount organizational charts and titles: Organizational charts and hence titles count for next to nothing. Maintain distance between your position and your ego. Never let your ego get so close to your position that when your position goes, your ego goes with it. The key to the book will be execution. This is not a biography (that s been done). This is a leadership book that will appeal to a wide and diverse audience, including members of the military. One of the primary appeals of the book will be its simplicity. By keeping the book short, and including several bite-sized sections to each chapter, readers will be treated to an easily accessible book that reveals the leadership secrets that made Colin Powell what he is today. weniger