Page 47 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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WHO ARE YOU . . . AND WHY ARE YOU TALKING TO ME?
CHAPTER 2
in “direct” and “unfiltered” communications; throughout his career, he has
been front and center on media platforms setting forth his views in plain and
5
simple language.
Giuliani is very particular about his choice of words. A blunt speaker,
Giuliani is fond of plain talk and is not above telling his constituents what they
“should” or “should not” do. Exhortations are not viewed kindly, but they
form Giuliani’s character as a communicator and over the years have lent him
the credibility he needs in order to lead. A case in point was his deliberate
choice of the word Mafia as a U.S. attorney general during his first indictment
against organized crime in 1983. Until then, government officials had not
wanted to use the word for fear of alienating the 20 million Americans of Ital-
ian heritage. Giuliani continued to use the term, explaining that the Mafia rep-
resents a tiny minority of Italians. “Ultimately, ‘Mafia’ says only that Italians
and Italian Americans are human beings. Once we acknowledge that, we take
much of the mystique out of it.” He also understands the “symbolic weight” of
words. As mayor, his administration “changed the name on every ‘Welfare
Office’to ‘Job Center.’” 6
In another chapter, “Reflect, then Decide,” Giuliani speaks of the neces-
sity of leaders listening to opposing viewpoints: “Make it clear [prior to a
decision’s being made] you’ll entertain changing your mind even on cut and
dried issues.” By hearing dissent, the leader exposes him- or herself to an
alternative view as well as to new sources of information. After gathering the
information, Giuliani advocates reflection, which is really a dialogue with
one’s self. This process prepares the leader to make an informed decision
based on facts, opinion, and personal conviction. 7

THE FUTURE
Whatever the future brings Giuliani, he will be forever linked with his
heroic performance under fire as he at first commanded, then grieved, then
cheered, and always, but always, fought to bring his City back to a sense of if
not normalcy, at least, what passes for it as New Yorkers return to their lives.
And like one of his heroes, Winston Churchill, Giuliani has elevated the suf-
fering of his City to heroic status as a means of giving the people who live
there a sense of hope, of mission, and of determination.

Leadership Communications Lessons

Lead from the front. Go to where you can do the most good. From the
moment the Towers were struck, Giuliani was front and center,