Crisis as a leader maker: NPR looks at Giuliani
We know a crisis can easily kill a leader, especially those unskilled in managing crises, relating to the media and generally having a presence of ineptitude when dealing with key publics.
But can a crisis elevate a leader over the long term? National Public Radio gives the question a whirl by examining Rudy Giuliani’s mayoral success before and after 9-11. The piece is basically spot on.
NPR quotes David Letterman during the 9-11 aftermath:
“If you’re like me and you’re watching and you’re confused and depressed and irritated and angry and full of grief and you don’t know how to behave,” Letterman said, all you have to do is watch the mayor.
Critics, though, question Giuliani’s last judgment, especially as a potential future president.
“No one would say Rudy Giuliani was a dumb man, but probably the dumbest thing he ever did was put the command center in the only complex that had previously been attacked by the terrorists,” said Wayne Barrett, co-author of the book Grand Illusion, about Giuliani. “So the visual that’s propelling him toward the presidency is, in fact, a commentary on his own weaknesses.”
Regardless of performance, before and during 9-11, the fact remains that Giuliani rose to the occasion in an unprecedented crisis—one that continues to keep him in the limelight.
