Leadership

Rating:
Summary: great examples, great ideas
Review: Rudy Giuliani has always been a man I admired. When he stood up to the crime bosses I was impressed. As he was finishing off his second term as New York City Mayor he was already known for making incredible crime reductions and for cleaning up 42nd Street. Imagine ESPN Zone and the Disney Store where all the adult XXX stores use to be! Anyone who could accomplish this when everyone else was saying that it was impossible, is certainly worth listening to when he discusses leadership qualities. Rudy wrote what is basically part II of the book as he prepared to leave office. Then came 9-11. He wisely chose to add chapter 1 on the events of 9-11 and the immediate aftermath. The final chapter describes how the recovery was achieved over the last days of his adminstration.

Basically Giuliani was always interested in being a leader. He read a lot about and learned a lot from his mentors. Many of the ideas in this book I had already learned from reading and taking courses in leadership, e.g. empower and make everyone accountable, be open and honest and communicate clearly, let your positions be known but allow for open and honest debate, and consider all reasonable options but make a decision and stick with it.

What the book added for me was the details of Rudy's experience from his father and grandfather teaching him as a child how to stand up to bullies, to the synergism of Torre and Steinbrenner, to the teachings of Judge MacMahon and to the example of Ronald Reagan standing up to the air traffic controller. Not only does Rudy clearly relate these experiences but he also takes examples from his years in the district attorney's office and as Mayor of New York where he applied the lessons he learned. Standing up to Arafat when he crashed in on an engagement was an example of Rudy standing up to a bully when Clinton would not.

Still his achievements as Mayor and the leadership he showed during the 9-11 disaster were remarkable. What was so special about Giuliani compared to other Mayors? One thing was his unconventional way of treating the government of a city like the running of a corporation. He used the organizational and economic principles of business in running New York City. He followed what Jack Welch was doing with six sigma at GE and through his Compstat program successfully used statistical methods for improving police effectiveness. This is very similar to the success that is common in many six sigma projects. It was fascinating to hear the types of information they chose to collect and the dramatic results that occurred when the measures were reviewed in meetings.

I even found myself recognizing Reagan and other Republicans whose vision and leadership I generally discounted in the past. Rudy is not arrogant or a braggard. He is simply trying to describe the key ideas that led to his success. This is great food for thought for all of us.

Rating:
Summary: A must for any government leader and politician
Review: As a Hong Kong citizen who had suffered over half a decade under the terrible governance of Tung Chee Wah, Hong Kong's chief executive assigned by PRC, I do envy New Yorkers who had the excellent leadership of Giuliani. Some reviewers argue that it's the good business environment of the 90's that allowed Rudy to perform the job well. I assure you that's absolutely false. Take the example of South East Asia whereas all countries including PRC enjoyed tremendous economic growth after the 97 financial crisis, Hong Kong had been getting worse year after year under an exceptionally bad government.

Back to the content of the book. Rudy had talked much about crisis management (and very little about his personal life except his cancer, but still job related), or actually, relentless anticipation and preparation, readiness to make timely decision and take responsibility, under promise and over deliver, staking with the right group of staff and communicating with them well, etc etc. One can always read them in management textbooks. What makes such a difference is that Rudy's ideas are well supported with real stories and that gives life and credibility to what he wants to preach.

In a word, a very good book and I wanna give Giuliani my salute.

Rating:
Summary: Hail to the Chief
Review: All I can say is, READ THIS BOOK. You will truly understand leadership, and all of the responsibilities and/or qualities that go with the territory.

After reading this masterpiece you will understand that Mr. Guiliani is going places. Can any one say, "hail to the chief?"

Rating:
Summary: One Man's Crucible
Review: Months before the attacks as his second term as mayor drew to conclusion, Giuliani had already begun work on what eventually became this book. In the Preface, he explains that "Every single principle that follows was summoned [key word] within hours of the attacks on the World Trade Center. Surround yourself with great people. Have beliefs and communicate them. See things for yourself. Set an example. Stand up to bullies. Deal with first things first. Loyalty is the vital virtue. Prepare relentlessly. Underpromise and overdeliver. Don't assume a damn thing." Previously I suggested the importance of the word "summoned" because the leadership which Giuliani provided after the attacks was not improvised extemporaneously. On the contrary, over many years as he explains in this book, he carefully accumulated experiences, sharpened skills, forged relationships, and nourished resources all of which he needed to summon on that fateful day and in the months following. All of them proved essential to his performance as mayor when the events which occurred on September 11, 2001, created greater challenges for him than he had ever encountered before...and in all probability, greater than any he would ever face in the future.

Inevitably selective and subjective as all memoirs are, these are focused almost entirely on Giuliani's career while providing an extended explanation of leadership from his perspective. He begins the book with his own account of 9/11/01, then explains how and why 14 key management principles were so important that day, before shifting his and the reader's attention to recovery efforts. Giuliani's remarks throughout the narrative are thoughtful and heartfelt but he seldom allows the reader access to thoughts and feelings unrelated to his evolution as a leader. Although presumably he has several scores to settle, he chose not to do so in this book. If I were asked to suggest a subtitle, it would be something like "What I've Learned About Leadership and How I learned It" or "September 11, 2001: My Leadership Crucible." You get the idea. Concluding this book, Giuliani acknowledges that he felt great anger after the attacks on the World Trade Center but considers that reaction a healthy one. "The challenge was to put it to work in ways that would make me a stronger, better leader." By all accounts he succeeded.

When Giuliani was selected as Time magazine's "2001 Person of the Year," the citation praises him "For having more faith in us than we had in ourselves, for being brave when required and rude when appropriate and tender without being trite, for not sleeping and not quitting and not shrinking from the pain all around him."

Rating:
Summary: Rudy at his finest.
Review: I'll admit it. I've always been a Rudy fan. He caught my interest years ago when he first ran for Mayor of New York City. Fellow moderate Republicans are often hard to find, especially ones who rise to such prominence as Rudy Giuliani.

In the great tradition of many leaders (King David, the prophet Samuel, John F. Kennedy, etc), Rudy's personal life does not always quite match up to the stellar expectations that so many of us seem to place on our public figures. However, no one can ever accuse Rudy Giuliani of shirking a duty to lead. And, in this book, he describes just exactly how he does that.

The book is actually broken down into such a great format that it could really serve as fodder for future Leadership classes. He breaks it down into:

--Everyone's Accountable, All The Time.
--Underpromise and Overdeliver.
--Develop and Communicate Strong Beliefs.
--Organize Around a Purpose.
--Reflect, Then Decide.

The point that reasonated with me from the minute I first read it, was in his first declaration that "I'm Responsible." Those two little words clearly set the tone for how Rudy views Leadership. He goes into detail about building a great team, properly communicating a mission, and revisiting results; but in the end, it all comes down to the fact that he views himself, as a Leader, to be the one responsible.

I actually put off reading this book for several months because I just was not ready to revisit September 11. (I assumed that the bulk of the book would revolve around that theme.) In the end, I became a little annoyed with myself that I had put such a great read off for so long.

This truly is one of the best (and simplest) breakdowns of true leadership. I would recommed it for anyone looking to sharpen their skills.

Rating:
Summary: I Laughed. I Cried. I Marvelled.
Review: I listened to all of the ten audio cassette tapes. The presentation was both instructive and entertaining. The narration was great. I resonated with the message such that I laughed, cried, and marvelled through the many precepts and stories given. I got moist around the eyes while vicariously experiencing the beauty of courage, conviction, and of successfully overcoming great obstacles in the path to great accomplishment. The accomplishments of Mayor Giuliani's administration in NYC were many. Within the stories were principles related to the importance of hiring excellent people, management by morning meetings, management by metrics, being at the scene of problems. For lawyers, the book includes more than a few great insights.

Primary among the many great stories is the Mayor's references to September 11, 2001. This occupies all of chapter 1 but the stories continue throughout. One of the early delights in the book is the story of overcoming the "squeegee men" panhandlers in New York City. Chapter headings related to "Be Prepared", "Loyalty" and "Stand Up To Bullies" deliver what they promise. I marvelled that the loyalty stories related primarily to loyalty down to the people who work for you. The story about Rudy's fight with prostate cancer was remarkable for the example that it gave of great diligence in gathering information and making a careful decision. The book, as read, is clear and concise. Every word seems to count. In my experience, Rudy began to earn his reputation long before he was Mayor when we worked to obtain convictions and strong sentences against organized crime bosses.

The precepts and examples are admirable. It's Rudy's own account, but it is clear that Mr. Giuliani has given great diligence to his work while showing great insight, great commitment to principle, great courage.

Rating:
Summary: Rudy invites us into his world
Review: Is there a more polarizing figure in NYC politics than Giuliani? Ok, maybe Clinton, the target of many jabs from Giuliani in this book about leadership. Giuliani also makes many other partisan notes in the midst of his book on leading effectively.

I have not read the plethora of other books on leadership, so I will not comment on whether the items posited in this book are original. I will note that the recipe he describes is backed up with many real-world situations where they were employed. I suspect that many other authors would be hard pressed to have as many examples of the suggested action having real-world success. Of course, Giuliani colors his successes in the most favorable light, but field-tested and proven techniques like his are worthwhile.

The best part of the book is Giuliani's remembrances of the people he met in his public life. Arafat (whom he ejected from a black-tie event), Tom Olsen, various Mafia Dons, Dick Cheney, and many firemen and police officers in NYC that helped with the 9/11 tragedy all make excellent character studies. Giuliani may not be a hero to some, but his transformation of NYC by paying attention to the details and resisting the entrenched special interests is laudable on a public service level. His struggle against prostrate cancer is praiseworthy on a personal level.

I listened to the CD version and I found that the narrator would be better suited to a Mickey Spillane thriller because he was a little too melodramatic.

Rating:
Summary: It's truly inspirational, read it today!
Review: Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani is an excellent collection of the former mayor's most valuable principles for success. This book is great for anyone who is already a leader or aspiring to be one and has useful advice that can be applied to any line of work. Giuliani was praised for how well he handled the September 11 tragedy and after reading this book, I understand why. He has been well prepared throughout his entire life to take on difficult situations and work his way through them with tremendous success.
What I liked most about this book are the real life examples he used to illustrate the principles by which he lives. He would first discuss the premise behind a certain tactic he uses to be an effective leader and then gives three or four examples of how this tactic has been beneficial for him in his everyday life. There are many parallels to sports, specifically the Yankees, which was interesting to me since I am a big baseball fan. But more importantly the detail that man remembers about situations ranging from his childhood to that tragic day in US history is simply amazing.
I was thoroughly impressed at the amount of detail he included in the book regarding his feelings on 9/11 and the aftermath as well as more personal issues such as his battle with cancer. There really can be a public figure that presents himself perfectly to the public. As a college student, I can't think of a better book to have read at this point in my life. I feel I have learned some very positive principles regarding the correct way to lead people. I guarantee that anyone who reads this book will feel the same way when they're done. I have always had a respect for former mayor Giuliani, but this book provided new insight into what a skilled man he really is. It's an inspiring story and you should be sure to order a copy today!

Rating:
Summary: Believe it or not!
Review: Ok, so I bought the book for a class assignment, and thought, "Great, another person writing a book to make money and riding on his popularity." However, I was quickly surprised with the author(no ghost writer here)and his candor with sharing stories about what it was that made him a great leader in all aspects of his career.

The author was writing the book before the 9/11 incident and its aftermath (which we are still feeling to this day)and delivers a powerful and extremely personal first hand account of the horrible events of that day. People who were just statistics and nameless faces for me actualy became real. The whole account of that day is extremely chilling, especially when the author discusses the personal losses of his friend's lives, and the roles they played in making him who he is and was.

The book offers personal anecdotals from his terms in office and how he rose to the top, and he delivers advice that we may have heard before, but perhaps never with such candor. Each chapter starts of with a new lesson to be learned, and the author explains why each lesson has been important to him. Most effective is his belief in meeting every morning with those who are in his staff, and recapping in a very brief meeting what the days goals will be...touching base is very important with this man, and so are people's feelings. He does not overlook the humanness of people.

As a bonus, the copy I purchased came with a free book in softcover of quotations from other great leaders, both male and female, and how who they were shaped the era from which they came from. I do not give the book 5 stars because I am afraid of buying into celebrity, but, overall, this is a good read, very gripping, and practical, as well as informative!

Rating:
Summary: A Detailed Plan For Being The Best Leader You Can Be
Review: This book is a very good read on anyone who wants to know more about a great leader in public life. Rudy is very clear on what his principles are when it comes to being a better public figure. I am very impressed with the honesty of his personal and public life. It aslo tells of his personal account of September 11. I would recommend this book to all who aspire to be a better person.