"Loyalty is disagreeing strongly. And loyalty is executing faithfully."

Former general and politician Colin Powell describes the advice and lessons that have guided him throughout his career, both in the military and as a diplomat. There is nothing revolutionary in this book, and the teachings Powell talks about here are cliche and phrases you have already heard before - be kind to your subordinates, don't complain, sacrifice for the team, etc. I don't feel that I gained any newfound knowledge that is unique to this book. In fact, if you are looking for a book on military leadership that can be applied to any sphere of life, I would recommend Jocko Willink's books instead of this one. This book is for people particularly interested in Powell himself, or in what it takes to become a general. There were moments where I was gripped by what he had to say, but those moments were few and far between.

Powell does discuss, in this book, his fateful 2003 speech to the U.N. incorrectly claiming that Iraq had Weapons of Mass Destruction, eventually leading to the Iraq War. The way he describes the mistakes he made in giving this speech run counter to the themes he tries to espouse throughout this book. He throws blame on others, takes little responsibility himself, and failed to verify information given to him. This makes it difficult to trust the rest of the advice he gives in this book, as it didn't necessarily "work for him." The main thing I learned about Powell from reading this is that he is fiercely loyal to the chain of command: he was willing to fall on his sword because his commanding officers told him to. And whether that is right or wrong is for the reader to decide.