LOST 'N' FOUND HALOS
R. SRIDHARAN
975 words
132
English
Copyright 2003 Living Media India Ltd
If September 11 hadn't happened, Rudy Giuliani would've passed
into political oblivion like all mayors-even of New York city-do. No doubt, the
tough-talking Giuliani drove criminals off the streets, moved large numbers off
the welfare rolls, and rejuvenated the Big Apple. But a lot of people hated
him. His strong-arm tactics with criminals, his apparent discrimination against
the city's Hispanic and African-American populations, his ugly fights with
political opponents, his intolerance of media criticism, and finally his affair
with saleswoman Judith Nathan (leading to his divorce from Donna Hanover), were
enough put-offs for New Yorkers.
But then, as Giuliani neared the end of his second term, two
things happened. One, he was diagnosed with prostate cancer, which prompted him
to abandon plans of running for the Senate against Hillary Clinton. Two, the
Suddenly, Giuliani was thrust to the centrestage of a global
drama. A big-town mayor overnight became the face of American heroism. The
rabid, ruthless Giuliani gave way to a caring, courageous messiah who, in the
face of unprecedented crisis, reassured and calmed his people. Time magazine
named him 2001's Person of the Year; corporations, counties and even countries
wooed him with fat deals to deliver talks on leadership (this writer attended
one in Las Vegas last year), and Giuliani the global leader was born. One who
would not only play host to the likes of Tony Blair, Vladimir Putin, and
Jacques Chirac (as they toured Ground Zero), but also earn their admiration.
Chirac, for instance, described him as "Rudy The
Rock".
It's fair to say that you wouldn't be reading this book had it not
been for September 11. Giuliani recognises as much, which is why he opens his
book with an account of that fateful day. The rest of the book draws upon his
experience as a powerful attorney. The chapters are interesting, him being such
an extraordinary man, but his leadership lessons in themselves are nothing
exceptional. "Surround yourself with great people; underpromise,
overdeliver"... are truisms that could come from anybody. But it is
possible that the title 'Leadership' is really a convenient marketing label,
and a compromise for Giuliani's refusal to deal with some controversial aspects
of his life. For example, his father was a one-time convict who once worked for
a loan shark. Or his acrimonious row with wife Donna, or the insouciance with
which he appeared in public with his mistress.
That said, what's laudable and worthy of emulation is how
Giuliani, despite his controversial mayorship, put everything aside and gave
hope and direction to his people in a time of crisis. Isn't that what makes a
leader? -R. Sridharan
Reputation By
'Q: How many Pentium designers does it take to screw in a light
bulb?
A: 1.99904274017; that's close enough for
non-technical people.'
That's among the jibes Intel had to face in 1994, as Charles Fombrun
recounts in this book, on account of the Pentium chip's 'floating point error'.
Founder Andy Grove had shrugged it off, arguing that an "error is only
likely to occur in nine billion random floating point divides"-very
rarely, that is, to the rational mind. But the lay consumer was horror-struck,
if not by the flaw, then by Intel's arrogance in trivialising his need for
accuracy. Grove relented, for the sake of Intel's reputation.
Thus it was that Intel turned market-savvy. Intellectually,
though, it was probably a tactical submission to market irrationality. A true
leader, by definition, must persuade the market to his vision rather than the
other way around. Almost a decade on, if the pc consumer is Lycra-fittin' snug
with the brand, it's largely on Intel's own terms.
Fombrun makes the case that 'reputation' is not just a bankable asset,
but also a matter of enlightened self-interest. Stating the obvious? Sort of. But his brand stories are worth a revisit: how
Chanel lost its avant garde reputation by losing creative control; how J&J
saved itself by showing it really cared about Tylenol-poppers; and how The Body
Shop got its enviable credibility. The book bears Harvard's 'Veritas' crest,
but isn't free of boo-boos. Fancy hearing Sandy Weill on the
ethical conduct of staff? And was it Madonna's 'Like a Virgin' that
offended the orthodox so much that Pepsi had to drop her-or 'Like a Prayer'?
The Foreign Office By Anthony Seldon,
Harper-Collins PP: 240 Price: Rs 1,935.45
In 1781, an American rebellion against Imperial Britain succeeded.
A year later, a rattled
This coffee table picture book, on the
majestic monument that houses the Foreign Office (and its India Office wing),
would be a delight to anyone interested in either imperial architecture or
Imperialism per se. It starts with an eye-catching 1939 map of The Empire,
depicting what you'd now call the 'cricket footprint', except
The book's narrative rushes through a sketchy version of the
Empire's rise and