Rudolph Guiliani, the acclaimed mayor of New York City who demonstrated great leadership to lead the city out of the crisis, knew (and despised) the various heads of the ‘five families’/organized crime groups in New York. That didn’t stop him from learning from them though.
One particular head (Let’s call him Joe) had just escaped an attempt at his life. Guiliani happened to be driving past the area where Joe was nearly shot the day after the attempted murder when he noticed Joe sitting in a coffee shop, out in the open, smoking a cigar. As Guiliani passed, Joe nodded and smiled.
Guiliani knew right then that Joe had taught him a major lesson in leadership. By standing out there in the open, he was sending a message to all his followers that he wasn’t afraid. The truth didn’t matter..
When the twin towers were attacked on Sept 11th, rumors were rife in New York city that there would be more attacks and the public and rescue workers at the twin towers site were panic stricken. Guiliani, having learnt his lesson from Joe, ensured he was an ever present in the site of the tragedy giving courage to all his followers.
The line from the picture says it all – ‘Courage is not the absence of fear but the judgment that something else is more important than fear – Ambrose Redmoon.
—
A Learning a Day 