Colin Powell's last words

It’s Alma Powell. She was with me the whole time. Also, 7 other things worth your time.

Last July, while he was battling multiple myeloma cancer and dealing with the effects of Parkinson’s disease, Colin Powell, former secretary of state and chairman of the joint chiefs of staff did something he’d done many times in the past.

He got on the phone for a nice long chat with journalist and author Bob Woodward of The Washington Post.

“Don’t feel sorry for me, for God’s sakes! I’m [84] years old,” Powell told Woodward according to a partial transcript, which Woodward shared in the wake of Powell’s death Monday, reportedly as a result of Covid-19.

His days were often filled with tests and treatment at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Powell said, but he was making the best of the situation: “I drive up in my Corvette, get out of the Corvette and go into the hospital. … I don’t advertise it but most of my friends know it.”

There’s a lot to say about Powell, and a lot of people saying it yesterday and today. (I wrote for Inc.com about his 13 Rules for Leaders, which ori…