This is a difficult day in our history as a country. September 11, 2001 was tragic. Yet, as is often the case, in times of great tragedy, great leadership emerges.
This post will not do justice to all the leaders of that day, but I recall two in particular – President George Bush and Mayor Rudy Giuliani – their behaviors serve as meaningful leadership lessons.
President George Bush
Calm/Composed – President Bush was sitting in the elementary school classroom listening to kids read books when his Chief of Staff whispered into his ear to inform him of the attacks. If there was ever a time to get excited and leave in a hurry, this would have been it. However, he remained calm and composed, and from the onset of this situation, he gave confidence to a nation that someone (him) was in control. Lesson – Remain composed even when situations are emotional and/or difficult. Doing so will give you an appearance of being reliable and in control.
Communicating – Immediately after finishing reading with the kids, President Bush gave brief remarks to the nation stating what had happened and what is now being done. Short, direct, and visible. Later that evening, he addressed the nation from the Oval Office. President Bush understood that in times of uncertainty, leaders need to communicate – even over communicate – in order to give assurance to the people who are looking for leadership. Lesson – communicate with your team. Use whatever means is available – meeting, conference call, email, Twitter, etc. – to deliver your message. All this results in you being visible, and that is what employees want – you to be visible.
Mayor Rudy Giuliani
Directing – I recall Mayor Giuliani being at ground level on that day and directing the activities of the city government. He had a strong working knowledge of his organization, and he understood how to organize his team and direct them accordingly. Lesson – understand the strengths and weaknesses of your people and your organization, and direct the work to reflect these. This includes undertaking new products/services, mergers or acquisitions, and hiring new people.
Empathy and Understanding – Mayor Giuliani lost many friends that day, and yet, his focus as a leader was on his people (employees, citizens, first responders, etc.). He exhibited great empathy and understanding and this gave the people comfort. It was from this experience that he made the statement in his book titled “Leadership,” “[As a leader] attending weddings is optional; funerals are required.” Lesson – when you sign up to be a leader, to be a strong and effective leader, you must put your team members first. Your focus should be on the team and not yourself.
President Bush and Mayor Giuliani didn’t wake up on September 11, 2001 and become effective leaders. They had practiced and committed themselves to leadership long before this day. I encourage you to do the same.