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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
4.
(Select no more than 2 boxes.)
Explain
Sell/preach
Overcome objections
Entertain
Celebrate
Check the purpose of the presentation as you see it now.
RUDY GIULIANI—LEADING WITH HOPE
For a few hours on that terrible day, he was the de facto leader of the nation as
the president and vice president were kept from public view by the Secret Ser-
vice. His city had been brazenly attacked, and he was at ground zero coordi-
nating with fire, police, and rescue personnel, all the while standing in the
media spotlight deftly fielding questions and parceling out information as best
he could. His performance, in the apparent absence of national leadership,
made him stand out, and as a result, the entire nation stood shoulder to shoul-
der with him—Rudy Giuliani, mayor of New York.
RUDY EVERYWHERE
Giuliani believed that it was his duty to be visible. “I was there. I was the
mayor of New York. My whole approach as mayor was to be there and be in
charge. If I had not gone on TV, it would have been worse for the city.” There
were rumors that the mayor had been killed during the collapse of the first
tower. That made his public visibility all the more vital. 1
As the grim reality of the loss of nearly three thousand people became
apparent in the collapse of the World Trade Center on September 11, and as
the hours dragged into days and finally into weeks, Giuliani, or Rudy more
aptly, seemed to be everywhere—meeting with state and federal officials,
grieving with the families of fallen firefighters, huddling with prominent city
businessmen, and of course maintaining vigil at Ground Zero with fire,
police, and rescue people. Later, he appeared at ball games and even on Sat-
urday Night Live.
We can discern much about Rudy Giuliani’s leadership communications
by examining his farewell address, delivered in St. Paul’s Chapel, a small
church near the World Trade Center that served as a food and rest shelter for
rescue personnel. Giuliani opens with an acknowledgement of his people and
their unique capacity to inspire.
[P]eople will ask me where do I get my strength? Well, it’s really simple.
. . . [M]y strength and energy comes entirely from the people of New York