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Wisdom From The Rock
He grew up in Brooklyn, the son of an ex-con father and with a Mob-connected uncle who earned a living as a loan-shark. He credits his father continually saying, "Never lie, never steal," as an influence in his making a better career choice. After getting a law degree, he became a U.S. Attorney, prosecuting organized crime and Wall Street inside traders. Of 4,152 convictions he attained, only 25 were reversed. During two terms as mayor of New York City, he achieved many major victories including reducing crime, spurring economic recovery and advancing education. While critics frequently accused him of being too aggressive, he charged ahead. Then, in the days following September 11, 2001, he unveiled an entirely different side. His consoling words to the victims' families and assurances to all that the city would prevail inspired New Yorkers, our nation and the world. Earlier this year, I saw "America's Mayor" speak at the opening session of the International Franchise Association convention. Rudy Giuliani glided across the stage as if in a courtroom and paused often to make eye contact with many of the 2,000 in attendance. As a veteran trial lawyer, he displayed a knack for timing and delivery, seriousness and humor. The "take-away" from his presentation was a primer on effective leadership, which he said did not rise from the tragedy of 9/11, but was developed by facing big challenges his entire life. Here are six Leadership Lessons from the man French president Jacques Chirac dubbed "Rudy the Rock". Using them in your small business will lead to outstanding results: 1. "Have a firm set of beliefs" Giuliani said the first step as a leader is to know who you are. He used Ronald Reagan as an example, pointing out that while many people did not like him they always knew where he stood. Reagan never wavered from his stance that communism was evil and government was too big. The Soviet Union fell and individual enterprise in America expanded during his presidency. 2. "Be an optimist" Good, ethical, decent leaders are a magnet for people. Giuliani said, "What if I had walked out here and began with 'It's bad out there, and it's going to get worse'? Who wants to be around that type of a person?" It's important to have confident vision of a good future. He reminded the audience that legendary coach Vince Lombardi once said, "I never lost a game. I just ran out of time." 3. "Have courage" Guiliani said courage is not the absence of fear, it's learning to overcome the presence of fear. "To be a successful leader," he said, "manage fear to do what you are called to do." He pointed out fear can be a good thing, if you don't allow it to immobilize you. 4. "Relentless preparation" Results, Giuliani said, are about hard work, not style. He said his first boss taught him, "You win cases not in the courtroom, but in the office." It takes four hours of preparation for every hour spent in court. When something unexpected happens, then you know how to react. Giuliani had New York prepared for many things fire, smallpox, poison gasses but planes flying into buildings had never been discussed. Yet, they utilized the same disaster responses they had rehearsed, if for different reasons. 5. "Teamwork is essential" No one achieves anything in life by themselves, Giuliani said. Ineffective leaders think they have to make all the decisions. Effective ones ask, "What are my weaknesses?" Then they find others to complement them and do what they do not do well. 6. "Be There" Giuliani said it is important to truly love people and spend time with them. "Weddings are discretionary, funerals are required," he said. Everyone shows up for a celebration, but real loyalty comes from being there in troubled times. After 9/11, he attended nearly 200 funerals, services and wakes for police officers, fire fighters and emergency workers. Success Handler Action: After you finish reading this E-Newsletter, think about how you rate as the leader of your small business. What do you need to work on to be more effective? Use these questions to help you identify those areas: ~ What are your strongest beliefs? Do you live them every day? ~ How optimistic are you? Is the glass half full or half empty? ~ Who better describes your courage Braveheart or The Cowardly Lion? ~ When crises arrive, how prepared are you and your team? ~ Where are your weaknesses, and is your team designed to balance them? ~ Which are you: a guest at weddings or a consoler at funerals? When Rudy Giuliani became mayor in 1993, more than one million residents were on welfare. Under his leadership, nearly 700,000 individuals moved to self-sufficiency. Crime fell 65 percent, murder dropped 70 percent, and the FBI recognized New York City five consecutive years as the safest large city in America. If an optimistic, courageous man with firm beliefs, who prepared relentlessly and built a supportive team he was always there for, can change something as big as New York City, what could you do by being the rock of your small business? Copyright © 2005 by Success Handler, LLC. All rights reserved. The Coach, David Handler, is the founder of Success Handler, (http://www.successhandler.com), and specializes in helping small business leaders find clarity and take action. He understands the challenges of running a business, because he's been there as a small business owner, franchisee, franchisor, corporate leader and trainer. Much like sports coaches, his coaching will show you how to compete on a level playing field in your industry.
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Coaching Career Advice for Business Leaders: Empowering Others Many potential leaders in business sabotage themselves and their organizations out of fear of empowering others. In 21st Century Leadership: Dialogues with 100 Top Leaders, Lynne McFarland, Larry Senn and John Childress assert, "the empowerment leadership model shifts away from 'position power' where all people are given leadership roles so thy can contribute to their fullest capacity." John Maxwell confirms this in his work on leadership, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership. He states, "only empowered people can reach their potential," and that barriers within the organization are created when empowerment is not present. Maxwell observed that the most common barriers to a leader's empowerment of others are: Give Your Valentine A Very Special Gift - Empowerment Delegating is a commonly misunderstood concept. Delegating is not about dumping problems or chores you dislike doing onto the shoulders of others, it is an invaluable tool for "motivating and training your team to realize their full potential." (Blair) Rationalize Success Away I was invited to do a Leadership workshop at a well known Fortune 100 company out in New Jersey. The all day event was geared toward their new crop of interns. At a point in my presentation I talked about the many reasons we come up with for not taking action. The many excuses we create in order to delay or defer acting on our plans to achieve success. Leadership Training and Character The vast majority of leadership training available to managers focuses primarily on skill and behaviors: how to delegate, how to communicate, how to manage conflict. These skills are unquestionably important and necessary. However, we maintain there is another important ingredient that has been severely neglected in leadership training, that ingredient is "character." Leadership character and its qualities is the focus of our new book and workshop: "Qualities of Leadership." Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 3, Drifting From the Topic Although new ideas lead to creative solutions, they can be a challenge when they interrupt or distract the work on an issue. 10 Smart Ways Leaders Can Bring Out the Best in Others You are a leader. Everyone is a leader. It doesn't matter if your title is Chairman of the Board or 3rd Assistant to the Supply Room Manager, you lead every time you influence others to do what you want. It's a skill that starts at birth (doesn't a newborn baby run her house?). As a smart adult, you have refined your natural leadership skills in order to influence others to willingly do what you want. Are You a Good Manager or a Great Leader? Your word is your truth - Know that when you speak, you will fulfill your promise to others and others will know they can depend on you. Think before you speak. Under promise and over deliver. Always keep your promise. The Challenge to Lead The topic of leadership has been and continues to be one of the most vital topics in human history. From ancient civilizations to modern day multi-national corporations, men and women of passion, fervor and zeal have sought to discover the secrets of moving others beyond the gray of their mundane reality to the rich array of colors that embody the palate of the extraordinary life. Stand Out as a Leader, Do 5 Things Better! Number One: Improve the Quality of Your Decision Making! The manager administers, the leader improves; the manager maintains, the leader develops; the manager relies on systems, the leader relies on people; the manager counts on controls, the leader counts on trust; the manager does things right, the leader does the right thing. -Fortune Magazine Leadership Is Action?Not Position! People respond to good leadership! Period! It is in all aspects of our lives, not just business. A mother is a leader in her home; a son may be leader of a team sport or a daughter the leader of the debate team. A group relies on the person in charge to actually lead them to success. A true leader is highly ethical, honest and respected. Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain! As the 'Great And Powerful Oz' once said to Dorothy, "Pay No Attention To The Man Behind The Curtain!" and as you know, appearances can be deceiving they are also one of the first things people judge others by. For instance, you recall the old saying 'Never Judge A Book By Its Cover?' well guess what we still do! C4 Leadership: Taking Your Leadership (and your Life) from Good...To Explosive! Chances are if you are interested in this post, you are looking for a few tips to take your leadership and/or your life, up a notch or two. Read on for a few things that have really helped me make my leadership more explosive after first defining what C4 is. Boy Scouts of America and Leadership Coaching The Center for Management and Organization Effectiveness talks with Dennis St. Jean, Assistant Director Professional Development Division, Boy Scouts of America, Irving, Texas. Using Your Intuition "Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure." -Nelson Mandela, Inaugural Speech, 1994 Leadership Push vs. Pull? At your next staff meeting consider leading your team through the following discussion. Thoughtleading: The Art of Separating Yourself from the Pack Lately the age-old business dilemma of how to stand out from the crowd has been haunting companies and professional service firms more than ever before. All too many firms nowadays look too much alike, with marketing strategies seemingly unable to distinguish them from their competition. Glossy brochures, snazzy websites, press releases, advertising: when everyone employs the same methods, everyone ends up vying for the same narrow window of client and prospect attention. Effective Leaders are (#3) Communicative LISTEN, WRITE, AND ARTICULATE EFFECTIVELY: Leadership positions require effective communication skills. Basic confidence in the art of information sharing is absolutely necessary for effective leadership. Although mastering all of these skills is ideal, it is not always necessary. Creative leaders can develop teams to support them in areas of weakness. One of the strengths of a leader is the capacity to recognize those communication areas in which he or she is weakest and then to supplement them. If for example, the area is listening, a leader might request a written summary for follow-up. If the area is writing, they could delegate the writing up of their ideas. No effective leader, however, can delegate the ability to articulate. Verbal communication must be an effective part of a leader's repertoire. Being an Extraordinary Leader Through Tough and Challenging Times Tough and challenging times will surely come. That is a given. The question is what kind of leadership we will demonstrate during those time. Those who are weak leaders will see lasting damage done, if not see the organization fall apart completely. With Extraordinary Leaders at the helm, however, an organization can actually become stronger and thrive in spite of the tough and challenging times. That should be our goal so here are some idea on how to be an Extraordinary Leader in tough and challenging times! What Every Manager Should Know About How to See the Talents of Effective Leaders An organization of any size, from the family to the department store, the neighborhood grocery store to the largest international corporations, is a reflection of its leadership. The Four Laws Of Leadership (Part Two) In Part One, I described the laws of motivation. In Part Two, I'll examine the laws in more detail.
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