Rudolph W. Giuliani on Leadership

He faced the camera, his poise one of confidence, giving me, a viewer, a sense that he was in charge of the post-9/11 cleanup operation—and what an operation that was. That was my first impression of Mayor Rudy Giuliani of New York City as I watched my TV in Darlington, England. Subsequent views of the same man confirmed my impression that here was a man of competence, a leader, someone inspiring confidence in the stark face of deep trauma, a trauma that was felt by not only New Yorkers, but by people all round the world.

Fast forward nearly two decades: When I saw a secondhand book by Rudolph W. Giuliani in a thrift store in Greenville, I was tempted to buy it, but thought of the many other books at home clamoring for my attention. But I yielded and went back a week later and purchased a copy: Leadership

Written in three parts, the table of contents asserts several propositions about leadership, as below, which the author then engagingly develops in just under 400 pages.

1 September 11, 2001

2 First Things First

3 Prepare Relentlessly

4 Everyone’s Accountable, All of the Time

5 Surround Yourself with Great People

6 Reflect, Then Decide

7 Underpromise and Overdeliver

8 Develop and Communicate Strong Belief

9 Be Your Own Man

10 Loyalty: The Vital Virtue

11 Weddings Discretionary, Funerals Mandatory

12 Stand up to Bullies

13 Study. Read. Learn Independently

14 Organize Around a Purpose

15 Bribe Only Those Who Will Stay Bribed

16 Recovery

Giuliani’s childhood was shaped by strong Roman Catholic values, a love for history, an optimistic sense of what it is possible to achieve in this world, and, at times, being egged on to a good display of streetwise behaviors that helped him in his adult years to face down bullies and crooks.

The author’s can-do spirit breathes optimism through the book. At times, I found myself disagreeing with some of his faith values—I am protestant to the core—but I found myself loving his sincerity and zeal for faith as he knows it, and especially his commitment to a Judeo-Christian worldview and its outworking in the form of faith, family, and a good, solid work ethic—typical of a classical conservative. His treatment of the so-called squeegee men in NY is classic—Charge them for jaywalking, was his take on it. Nobody had thought of that!

At times a little self-congratulatory, Giuliani nevertheless charms the reader with his love for life, his love for doing the right thing, and for being a fighter to this end. And there is much in this book for ordinary people who are striving for excellence even within their own relatively minor circles. There is a feast in the chapter titles alone. I read this book over the course of a few months in bite sizes at occasional times of the month—in waiting rooms, waiting for a kettle to boil, and at other spare moments. The takeaways, for me, are largely in the propositions in the table of contents. There are many action points to be derived from these. I’ve seen too much blithering leadership in my circles—whether church, publishing, or charity work—over the years. Would that many leaders and prospective leaders would take on board some of Giuliani’s ideas and principles!

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