Mayor Bloomberg able to laugh at himself

Bloomberg during one of his many press conferences assuring the public he was taking steps needed to keep them safe

For those of us subjected to hours of Mayor Michael Bloomberg droning on in front of the television cameras last week, assuring New Yorkers that he was preparing them for the coming hurricane, a lighter moment appeared when he switched to a garbled version of Spanish. Here's a clip:



I wasn't the only one amused. Ms. Levin, a fluent Spanish speaker herself, created an online persona called @ElBloombito, who proceeded to tweet messages to his followers warning them in Spanglish of the dangers ahead. Read the article for details but here are some of the funnier tweets:

“Hola Newo Yorko! El stormo grande is mucho dangeroso!”
“Fill los bathtub con agua por preparando el no agua,”
“Los floodwaters!”

By Sunday morning, @ElBloombito had about 2,000 followers. By Tuesday afternoon, there were nearly 15,000, among them Mr. Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg). Atta-boy Bloomberg! way to not take yourself too seriously.

More tweets:
Saturday night: “Remain in la casa para much rain y lighningo y thundera! El Bang Bang!”
Sunday morning: “Ay Ay Ay! Yo forgoto to evacuato el isla de Rikers!”
Sunday evening: “El FDR es el cerrado por que muy aqua mucho. Necesito un boat de row!”
Monday: “Los trainos y el bussos son muy operation. Go to worko. No excuso.”

On Monday, Mr. Benítez asked Mr. Bloomberg about @ElBloombito at a news conference. The mayor, smiling, said: “Tengo 69 años. Es difícil para aprender un nuevo idioma.” (Translation: I’m 69 years old. It’s difficult to learn a new language.”)

Lee Iacocca on Leadership

I've been a big fan of Lee Iacocca since I watched him pull Chrysler out of bankruptcy in the late 1970s. I teach about him in my Project Management class and I've referred to him in this blog as an example of a great leader. Some may not know him that well. For those who want all the details, here is the link to his Wikipedia entry:
Lee Iacocca's Wikipedia entry
For those who want the short version: He gained renown as the Project Manager for the Mustang, rose to prominence and leadership and eventually was named president of Ford. He argued with Henry Ford about the minivan and was demoted to Warehouse Manager. The next day he was hired at Chrysler. He turned this company around using some excellent leadership and sales skills: influencing banks, members of congress and the President of the U.S. to make his turnaround project a success.

He has written a few books full of excellent advice on leadership, some shown below:



A couple of years back he gained new prominence with a speech about leadership that went along with his latest book. Here is a short excerpt that shows his 'Nine C's of leadership.' It's worth a look.

Obama's speech on Tucson shooting

Lee Iacocca, in his speech about the nine C's of leadership, says that the most important aspect of a leader is his ability to shine through a crisis. The first question Lee wants to ask any leader is: "Where has he or she been tested and did they pass the test?"

During some future post I'll show you Lee's great speech. Today I want to focus on President Obama and how he dealt with his most recent test. The politics of today's America have become extremely polarized with both Democrats and Republicans pulling further towards the left and right. Whether this was partially to blame for a mentally ill man shooting a congresswoman and many bystanders in Tucson last week is debatable. But the shooting was one more polarizing event in this trend. Fingers were being pointed on both sides.

Then President Obama gave a speech at the Memorial Service. He used the platform to bring forth two major themes:

1. We Americans should use this moment to heal and move closer together rather than allow it to drive us further apart.
2. Christine Green had high hopes for the democracy of this country. We should live up to her expectations.

If you get time, look at the speech in its entirety. You can find it anywhere on YouTube.

I provide below a short excerpt of the speech that illustrates the two themes and shows the skill with which the President captures and expresses our emotions. Bill Clinton may have said that 'I feel your pain' but Obama shows that pain to us. When he pauses for 51 seconds I don't believe it was just to acknowledge the applause. I felt that he was thinking of his 9 year-old daughter, just as I was thinking of my 10 year-old sons. And I believe the crowd felt it too and sustained the applause to support him.

Leaders have shown throughout history, the power that a great speech can have to inspire their followers. President Obama is the latest in a long line of great orators. There is much to learn from his speaking skills.

                                         Obama's speech excerpt

So, did President Obama pass the test this crisis put him through?