Introduction “I consider myself a moderate Republican. I have very, very moderate social views, and I am pretty strong on, on defense matters” (BookRags Media Network, 2011, p. 23). This was Powell’s assertion of his life as a leader. Powell has been admired and loathed by many, perhaps because of his involvement in the American-Iraq conflict or his ability to play “fair” in the Bush administration. Powell’s nature as a moderate republican influenced the perception republicans and democrats (alike) because both parties had similar views about him (Waxman, 2005, p. 1). Considered a high-ranking member of the Bush administration, Powell was a “fair” leader. Many people may agree or differ with this view, but this paper acknowledges that, Powell’s leadership characteristics were participative and democratic. Participative and democratic leadership has always been assumed to be the inclusion of all stakeholders in the decision-making process. In the organizational setup, the participative style of leadership would mainly include the inclusion of employees in the decision-making processes of the organization. However, in the context of this study, the participative style of leadership will be understood within the context of an informed and multifaceted leadership style. In contrast, this leadership style can be compared to the authoritarian and the free-reign styles of leadership. This paper explores different dynamics of Powell’s leadership characteristics. However, there is a strong focus on the extent Powell exhibited ethical behavior, political acumen, emotional intelligence, charismatic behavior, transformational leadership, and overall leadership effectiveness. These leadership dynamics will comprehensively be used to support the arguments of this paper, but before this analogy is undertaken, an analysis of Powell’s life and accomplishments will be done. This analysis provides a thorough understanding of Powell’s transitions from an ordinary citizen to a position of enormous responsibility in the American government. Background Summary Colin Powell is known to be the first African-American personality to serve in the position of the Secretary of State for the US government (Waxman, 2005, p. 1). Powell was born from immigrant parents (who came from Jamaica). Certain reports however say that, Powell also has a Scottish ancestry. Powell studied at Morris high school where he graduated with a high school diploma (in 1954) and later joined the City College of New York where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Science (Waxman, 2005, p. 3). He later pursued his postgraduate studies at the George Washington University where he graduated with a master’s degree in Business Administration. Powell joined the US army at a cadet level (in the Reserve Officers Training Corps). In June, 1958, Powell was promoted to be a second lieutenant in the US army (Waxman, 2005). This promotion kicked of a series of other promotions which saw him scale up the ranks of the US army, through the positions of: first lieutenant, captain, major, lieutenant-colonel, colonel, brigadier general, major general, lieutenant general, and general (respectively). These promotions occurred be