Giuliani discusses principled leadership at UCLA conference

Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani delivered an address
on “Leadership in Difficult Times” at UCLA Dec. 12,
kicking off a three-day interdisciplinary conference held on
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder.

Giuliani, widely praised for his strength and leadership
following the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center, is a hot
commodity on the national speaking circuit. Giuliani filled the
1,800 seat Royce Hall Auditorium, for which tickets were $20
general admission and $10 for UCLA faculty, staff, and
students.

The Time Magazine 2001 Person of the Year’s one-hour
address at UCLA, co-sponsored by UCLA and the Foundation for
Psycho-cultural Research, carried a price tag that the L.A. Times
put at $100,000, but Giuliani’s press aide did not comment on
the actual sum.

A seasoned speaker, Giuliani swiftly made a connection with his
audience. He explained that he would not be using the podium
because he believed in making eye contact with his audience, which
was comprised of scholars, students and avid “Rudy”
fans. Chancellor Albert Carnesale was also in attendance.

Intermingled with Giuliani’s discussion of four principles
of effective leadership, taken from his newly released book,
“Leadership,” were a sprinkling of jokes about ringing
cell phones and New York City accents.

On the topic of crisis, Giuliani said, “My theory is that
the way you deal with crisis is very much the same whether it is
personal, business-related, societal or governmental.” He
related this theory to his own personal battle with prostate cancer
as well as his role in Sept. 11 crisis management.

Successful leadership, Giuliani said, stems from having a core
set of principles that guide your life, being an optimist, and
relying on a loyal team to bridge the gaps of personal
weakness.

Giuliani recognized two of his own “loyal team,”
Rosemary O’Keefe, former commissioner in the New York City
Mayor’s Community Assistance Unit and Richard Sheirer, former
city director of emergency management, who were in the crowd.

In response to questions about the risk of future terrorist
attacks, Giuliani said “we do face being attacked again,
which we need to ready ourselves for” and that “the
best way to prepare for the unanticipated is to prepare for the
anticipated.”

While Giuliani admitted that facing the great possibility of
other attacks creates anxiety, stress, and fear, he told his
audience, “Courage is the management of fear, not the absence
of fear.”

Asked about his advice for students developing in the “Age
of Terror,” Giuliani jokingly replied, “Study!”
In a more serious tone, he said that the best way to become leaders
in a time of crisis was to find good role models. In his speech,
Giuliani cited Martin Luther King Jr., his former boss President
Ronald Reagan, and Winston Churchill as his personal role
models.

The Trauma, Culture, and the Brain Conference will explore
biological, clinical, and cultural approaches to trauma’s
effects, and will conclude Sunday, Dec. 15.