Rudy-a-plenty

I read leadership books as an occupational preoccupation. But I'm not reading Rudy Giuliani's not-so-humbly titled memoir Leadership.

I have nothing against Hizzoner. He was a visible stalwart of stability during a very dark hour for the USA last year.

BUT...

The admirable Mr. Giuliani is not a hero and not a paragon of exemplary leadership. (The heroes of September 11th were the legions of civil servants who rose to duty's call, and the many volunteers from all over creation who flocked to support them in myriad ways --- many at their own expense, and virtually none in the spotlight.)

Very few people, especially those who knew him best, would have purchased a book on "leadership according to me" penned by Giuliani and published on September 10, 2001. The driven Mr. Giuliani, by all accounts, is irascible, contentious, and less than inclusive in his management style.

So what should one make of Rudy-the-Model-Leader?

Like many of history's notables, he rose to an extraordinary challenge and, for a time, summoned his best qualities and leveraged his experience to great effect.

An extraordinary crisis and a prominent position of visibility played an enormous role in forging Giuliani-the-media-darling-cum-hero. And circumstances favored the Giuliani legend: his term as mayor expired almost immediately after the dramatic moment, freeing him from having to lead through the arduous and less emotionally evocative work of cleaning up New York City's budget crisis (brewing well before last September).

But let's not deny Mayor Giuliani his due. At a vulnerable moment, a visible, self-assured and self-effacing Giuliani rose to an enormous challenge. He skillfully gave good symbolics for a few critical weeks. (And skillfully continues to trade on the prominence Fate offered him.)

Still, the Mayor's book raises some fundamental questions. If you read Mr. Giuliani's book, can you expect an infusion of that magical post-September 11th leadership that transformed an autocratic and waning political figure into a cult hero? Does Giuliani's able crisis management translate into sustainable, implementable lessons for the far more humble, mundane missions most of us are charged with executing day in and day out?

What do you think? Reply here.

Lead Well® helps organizations to improve measurable results by developing their current and future leaders. For more information, please contact us. By phone, toll-free in the USA: 1-888-LeadWell (532-3935), or 1-609-716-9490. By email, Info@LeadWell.com.

REPUBLICATION: Permission is granted for publishing this article in periodicals provided that you:

1) Notify us (Info@LeadWell.com) and

2) Include the following attribution statement:

Don Blohowiak, a management consultant and popular conference speaker, is the author of several business books. The executive director of the Lead Well® Institute in Princeton, NJ, he may be reached at http://www.LeadWell.com/.

SELLING this material requires our written permission.

TRADEMARKS: "Lead Well" and "Natural Selection" are registered trademarks, and "Lead by Design" is a trademark, owned by Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute.

Copyright © 2005, Don Blohowiak, Lead Well Institute

~ All Rights Reserved ~