Leadership is a skill anyone can develop. Business people and consumers alike just need to learn the core principles to become an effective leader, keynote speaker Rudy Giuliani told attendees yesterday at the Incentive Show in New York.
The former New York City mayor spoke about the importance of leadership in today’s business world and offered attendees tips on how to become an effective and motivating leader. Giuliani told personal stories ranging from his life as mayor, his battle with prostate cancer, to his own experience dealing with the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
The first step in leadership is to clearly define your goals and your beliefs and to outline business objectives, he said.
“You’ve got to be able to look in the future and see what you want to accomplish,” he said.
Second, learn to be an optimist.
“Optimism is enormously important. It’s the way you get through a crisis,” he said.
Third, have courage. In order to lead effectively, business people must learn to manage and overcome their fears.
Fourth, be relentlessly prepared. A good leader is always prepared. As a wise judge once told Giuliani, “If you prepare and anticipate, you will be able to answer the unanticipated.”
Fifth, become a team player. Teamwork is essential to success in life and leaders have to understand the value of working together. Giuliani told attendees to evaluate their strengths and weaknesses and learn to balance their weaknesses with the strengths of others. “No matter what kind of organization you run, you need the help of other people,” he said.
Sixth, learn how to communicate. “To be a leader, you have to communicate. Communication is critical,” he said.
Perhaps the key to leadership, Giuliani said, is appreciating the people you work with.
“If you want to be a leader and a motivator, you’ve got to love people.”
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