Over the years, ten rules have surfaced and helped me remember why people go from good to great, in any field. They also explain America. We stumble, but these rules offer hope – and work.
Rule One: Do the right thing, every time – even when it’s hard, when it could cost you friends, money, job, or prestige. As Colin Powell said, “Don’t be afraid to be the skunk at the garden party.” If you listen to your heart, you will sleep better.
How did Ronald Reagan bring down the Soviet Union? How did Ernest Shackleton save all his men in Antarctica? What did Rudyard Kipling write? “If you can keep your head about you when others are losing theirs and blaming you…” You prevail.
And…if it turns out you were wrong, as every decision is made on incomplete information, admit your error and fix it, since that is how we do the right thing.
Rule Two: Step up, take the risk. That’s what leaders do. No good thing happens without taking risk, so take it. Look at the situation, review facts and unknowns, decide. Every non-decision is a decision too, with second order consequences.
Rule Three: Forget ego. Don’t make decisions based on ego or emotion, since those decisions are more often wrong than right. Separate yourself with reason. If you face criticism, and you will, resolve not to take it personally, hard but doable.
Rule Four: Be grateful…for everything. For the good stuff, be grateful; for the bad stuff, as it teaches us, be grateful… In simple terms, thank the guy who opens the door, makes the coffee, sweeps the floor, the unassuming person who helps make the team run, often unrecognized…Be grateful, too, for each dawn, for living in America. And recall no one gets anywhere by themselves; we all owe others.
Rule Five: Test your limits, never stop testing. If you can, try to think like a test pilot, push the envelope…because you never know until you go all in. We only become our best when we test our limits. That’s America, that’s millions of Americans, inspired by their own American Dream, testing their limits.
Rule Six: History is made by inches. History, success, progress of any kind is made with disciplined effort – chasing a goal, turtle not rabbit, eyes on the far horizon, seeking what lasts. People may rush you, but set your own pace, method matters.
Rule Seven: Look after your people. This is another from Reagan and Powell, also Washington, Eisenhower, and Patton. It goes way back and works every time. It is not about condescension but caring. Look after your people, they look after you.
Rule Eight: Accountability matters. We are imperfect, get stuff wrong. When you do, own it, be accountable. You will feel better. So will those who count on you. We trust those who level with us, are trusted the same way. Admit, fix, and move on.
Rule Nine: Anticipate, try to “look around corners.” Reagan, Powell, good military, business, political, community, and family leaders do that. Wake up thinking about contingencies, what might happen, what you will do if it does, then what you can do to prepare, be ready, guide the process, and react in the right way.
Rule 10? Rule 10 is that you do not always need a Rule 10. If just nine, say so. With that, you have the formula. Go back to Washington, Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt, those who’ve done the hard things, and you’ll see why America is America. We are great because we are good and work to go from good to great. We are not an accident.
Robert Charles is a former Assistant Secretary of State under Colin Powell, former Reagan and Bush 41 White House staffer, attorney, and naval intelligence officer (USNR). He wrote “Narcotics and Terrorism” (2003), “Eagles and Evergreens” (2018), and is National Spokesman for AMAC. Robert Charles has also just released an uplifting new book, “Cherish America: Stories of Courage, Character, and Kindness” (Tower Publishing, 2024).
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