*Book Review: Leadership

This book review was provided by Joe Farcht, the Official Guide to Leadership Skills. Leadership Skills are the tools and traits acquired to facilitate guiding or a directing a group, most commonly toward a shared goal. nnJoe Farcht has identified Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani and Ken Kurson as a valuable resource for people interested in leadership skills and it is avaialble through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble.nnBarnes & Noble ReviewnIn the aftermath of the devastating September 11th attacks, one thing became immediately clear -- not just to New Yorkers but to people across the world: Rudy Giuliani is a leader of exceptional ability, a man whose tremendous dedication and compassion enabled a grieving city to bear its losses and move forward with courage. But, as we all know, leadership of the caliber demonstrated by Mayor Giuliani doesn't magically appear in response to an emergency: It is an achievement that requires a lifetime of disciplined work, an ongoing willingness to learn, and a deep commitment to achieving excellence. Fortunately for us, Rudy Giuliani has distilled the lessons of his remarkable career into this book, which uses anecdotes and examples to illustrate his thoughts on organizational dynamics, crisis management, and, of course, the essence of true leadership. If you want to learn from one of the most distinguished individuals in our nation, then begin with this exceptional book. nnBorn in Brooklyn, educated at Manhattan College and NYU Law School, Giuliani had a successful career in the Department of Justice before becoming the 107th mayor of New York City, a position he occupied until the expiration of his term on January 1, 2002. The many skills Giuliani demonstrated in the aftermath of the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center were developed during this period of his life as he led one of the world's most challenging, complex cities into a period of reduced crime and expanded economic opportunity. Giuliani discusses this period in detail and then describes the hours and days following the September 11th attack, taking the reader into his struggle to use his resources to help the people of New York cope with an unprecedented and unimaginable situation. By recording his insights, he has given all of us the opportunity to learn from his experience. nnnFrom the PublishernWriting in his familiar voice -- a New Yorker's bluntness, leavened by his passion for ideas -- Rudolph Giuliani demonstrates in Leadership how the leadership skills he practices can be employed successfully by anyone who has to run anything. After all, until the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center pushed him into an unwanted role in history, Giuliani was only months away from leaving office with a reputation as one of the most effective mayors New York had ever seen. nnHaving inherited a city ravaged by crime and crippled in its ability to serve its citizens, Giuliani shows how he found that every aspect of his career up to that point-from clerking for the formidable judge who demanded excellence (and rewarded it with a lifetime of loyalty) to busting organized crime during his years as a federal attorney-shaped his thinking about leadership and prepared him for the daunting challenges ahead. Giuliani's successes in turn strengthened his conviction about the core qualities required to be an effective leader, no matter what the size of the organization, be it an international corporation or a baseball team. nnIn detailing his principles of leadership, Giuliani tells captivating stories that are personal as well as prescriptive: how he learned the importance of staying calm in the face of attack from his father's boxing lessons-as well as the need to stand up to bullies; how a love of reading was early instilled in him by his mother and grew into a determination to master new subjects, and not rely on only the word of experts; how, in his recent fight with prostate cancer, learning to make decisions at the right time and with the right information reflected decision-making on a larger scale. nnLeadership, Giuliani writes, works both ways: it is a privilege, but it carries responsibilities-from imposing a structure suitable to an organization's purpose, to forming a team of people who bring out the best in each other, to taking the right, unexpected risks. A leader must develop strong beliefs, and be held accountable for the results-principles he illustrates with candor and courage throughout the pages of this important and timely book. He never knew that the qualities he describes would be put to the awful test of September 11, he says; but he never doubted that they would prevail. nn