What Colin Powell Can Teach Comm Center Leaders
If you’re a leader in an Emergency Communications Center, you already know the job is a constant balancing act. You’re expected to stay positive, keep morale up, make good decisions under pressure, and somehow keep the long view in sight while dealing with whatever crisis lands in front of you today.
It’s not easy. And some days, it feels almost impossible.
One leadership touchstone I’ve come back to over the years is Colin Powell’s Thirteen Rules of Leadership. It’s a simple list, but it has a way of cutting through noise when things feel messy.
Here’s the list:
It ain’t as bad as you think! It will look better in the morning.
Get mad then get over it.
Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
It can be done.
Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
Check small things.
Share credit.
Remain calm. Be kind.
Have a vision. Be demanding.
Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
Let’s take a closer look at each rule, and how it can apply in the comm center:
1. It ain’t as bad as you think. It will look better in the morning.
In a comm center, everything feels urgent at 2 a.m. Leaders have to remember that exhaustion amplifies problems, and many “crises” look very different after rest, daylight, and a calmer read of the facts.
2. Get mad, then get over it.
Strong leaders allow themselves to feel frustration, but they don’t let it bleed into how they treat their staff. Process the emotion privately, then show up steady and fair when it’s time to lead.
3. Avoid having your ego so close to your position that when your position falls, your ego goes with it.
Titles shift, assignments change, and leadership structures evolve. If your identity is welded to your role, you’ll struggle to adapt and your team will feel that insecurity immediately.
4. It can be done.
Dispatch centers are built on solving hard problems with limited resources. Leaders who believe improvement is possible create space for creativity, while leaders who assume defeat shut it down before it starts.
5. Be careful what you choose. You may get it.
Every policy change, promotion, or staffing decision has downstream effects. In a comm center, today’s “quick fix” often becomes tomorrow’s permanent headache.
6. Don’t let adverse facts stand in the way of a good decision.
Leaders rarely get perfect information in real time. Waiting for total clarity can be more damaging than acting decisively with the best facts available and adjusting as needed.
7. You can’t make someone else’s choices. You shouldn’t let someone else make yours.
Dispatchers are adults, and leaders can’t own every personal or professional decision their staff makes. At the same time, leaders have to resist pressure from outside voices that don’t understand the work.
8. Check small things.
In a communications center, small failures compound quickly. Details like training gaps, outdated SOPs, or minor morale issues are often early warning signs, not inconveniences.
9. Share credit.
Good outcomes in dispatch are almost always team wins. Leaders who hoard credit lose trust, while leaders who shine the light on their people build loyalty and pride.
10. Remain calm. Be kind.
If the leader panics, the room panics. Calm and kindness from leadership set the emotional temperature for the entire center, especially during high-stress incidents.
11. Have a vision. Be demanding.
Dispatchers want to know where the center is headed and that the work matters. Clear standards paired with a meaningful vision create purpose instead of resentment.
12. Don’t take counsel of your fears or naysayers.
Every comm center has voices that resist change by default. Leaders still need to listen, but they can’t let fear-driven opposition dictate the future.
13. Perpetual optimism is a force multiplier.
Optimism in leadership doesn’t mean ignoring reality. It means consistently reinforcing that the work matters, progress is possible, and the team is capable, even on the hardest days.
When all else fails, remember rule #1. It will look better in the morning; it always does.
