READ:

Very often my best didn’t turn out that well. I was neither

an athlete nor a standout student. I played baseball, football,

stickball, and all the other Bronx sports, and I did my best,

but I wasn’t good at any. In school I was hardworking and

dedicated, but never produced superior grades or matched the

academic successes of my many high-achieving cousins. Yet

my parents didn’t pester me or put too much pressure on me.

Their attitude was “Do your best—we’ll accept your best, but

nothing less.”

These experiences established a pattern for all the years

and careers that came afterward. Always do your best, no

matter how difficult the job, or how much you dislike it, your

bosses, the work environment, or your fellow workers. As the

old expression goes, if you take the king’s coin, you give the

king his due.

I remember an old story told by the comedian Brother

Dave Gardner about two ditch diggers. One guy just loves

digging. He digs all day long and says nothing much. The

other guy digs a little, leans on his shovel a lot, and mouths off

constantly, “One of these days, I’m gonna own this company.”

Time passes and guy number one gets a front-end trench

machine and just digs away, hundreds of feet a day, always

loving it. The other guy does the minimum, but never stops

mouthing off, “One of these days, I’m gonna own this

company.” No, guy number one doesn’t end up owning the

company, but he does become a foreman working out of an

air-conditioned van. He often waves to his old friend leaning

on his shovel still insisting, “One of these days, I’m gonna own

this company.” Ain’t gonna happen.

In my military career I often got jobs I wasn’t crazy about,

or I was put in situations that stretched me beyond my rank

and experience. Whether the going was rough or smooth, I

always tried to do my best and to be loyal to my superior and

the mission given to me.

What was Powell's approach to jobs and his military career?

He worked hard digging ditches in order to own the company one day.

He always worked hard, even when he didn't like what he was doing.

He only worked hard when he liked the job and his bosses.

He wasn't good at sports or school, so he knew he had to work hard to make the team and get good grades.