Trusted into the Dark: The Leadership Legacy of Colin Powell

“You’ll know you’re a good leader when people follow you, if only out of curiosity.”
—Colin Powell

When Amy Wilkinson, a White House fellow, asked Secretary of State Colin Powell to define the core trait of great leaders, he didn’t hesitate.

“Trust.”

After a lifetime in public service—four-star general, National Security Advisor, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs, Secretary of State—Powell didn’t point to intelligence, charisma, or strategy. He said everything begins and ends with trust.

And not just earning it. Creating the conditions for it.

Trust Isn’t a Concept. It’s a Feeling.

Trust isn’t about saying the right words or checking off a box on your leadership to-do list.

It’s emotional. It’s relational. It’s felt.

Powell knew that. That’s why he told young officers at Fort Benning: “Your soldiers will follow you into the darkest night if they trust you.”

But how do you build that kind of trust?

He gave us the blueprint:

• Clear mission and values.

• Selfless service.

• Skillfully trained teams.

• Leading by example, especially when it’s hard.

“No matter how cold it is, you must never look cold. No matter how hungry, you must never appear hungry. Don’t look terrified—even when you are.”

This wasn’t about denying human emotion. It was about showing steadfast presence so others feel safe. If you panic, they will. If you hold steady, they can too.

Leadership Is Emotional Contagion

The science backs this up. The leader’s emotional state becomes the team’s baseline.

• A 2022 study in Frontiers in Psychology found that emotional regulation by leaders strongly predicts trust and performance in high-stress environments (Rodríguez-Cifuentes et al., 2022).

• Neuroscience shows we mirror the emotional states of people in charge through mirror neurons and limbic resonance (Goleman et al., 2013). That means how you show up—your tone, energy, body language—literally changes how your team feels.

Trust, then, is not just what people think of you—it’s how they feel around you.

If your words say “I’ve got your back,” but your body says “I’m checked out,” trust fractures.

You Can’t Fake It. But You Can Cultivate It.

The problem is, you can’t fake emotional presence or integrity.

But you can build it.

Trustworthy leaders:

• Align words, actions, and impact.

• Speak the truth, even when it’s hard.

• Own their mistakes.

• Show up consistently—not just when it’s convenient.

• Put the mission and the people ahead of their own comfort or image.

When those things come together, people don’t just follow you—they believe in you.

And belief is powerful.

Leadership Sets the Standard

Powell reminds us: culture is shaped from the top down.

If you’re cold and detached, your team will be too.
If you cut corners, so will they.
If you gossip, tolerate mediocrity, or serve self-interest, those values spread like wildfire.

But if you lead with heart, with clarity, with integrity—then trust flows.
And when trust flows, people give more.
More energy. More effort. More of their best.

That’s when you get teams who go above and beyond not because they have to…
But because they want to.

Because they trust you.
And trust changes everything.

Call to Action: Practice the Feeling of Trust

This week, take one of these actions to strengthen trust in your leadership:

• Start every meeting with clarity: restate your purpose and mission. Why are we here? What are we doing and how does it matter?

• Audit your alignment: ask yourself, Are my words, actions, and emotional tone aligned? If not, what’s one small shift I can make to bring them closer?

• Show presence when it’s hard: in one moment of fatigue, frustration, or pressure this week, challenge yourself to be calm, warm, and steady. Let others feel safety from your presence.

• Express one moment of gratitude or recognition to someone on your team. Make it specific and heartfelt. Remind them that their work matters—and that you see it.

Leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about being someone others want to follow into the unknown.

Trust makes that possible.
And as Colin Powell showed us—trust starts with you.