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By Ben McConnell and Jackie Huba
October 2001

It has been almost a month since the September 11 terrorist attacks against the United States. There are pleas for the U.S. to return to "business as usual." As usual? That hardly seems possible. The question seems to be, what is acceptable?

New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani is a case study on how to lead in a crisis. His unflappable, courageous leadership of his city (and as a surrogate, the country) since Sept. 11 will probably be studied and written about for years to come.

And for good reason. His work has helped the United States right itself after having witnessed an incomprehensible event. Every day since the attacks, Giuliani has been a reliable, unending source of information, reassurance, and emotion mixed with sensitivity and decisiveness. Mayor Giuliani has helped reassure the nation that he is working for our common interests and goals.

Giuliani has stood before billions of horrified television viewers, a fact unlikely lost on the media-savvy mayor. Such an assignment could cause even the sturdiest to crack with overburdened verisimilitude. But Giuliani, who makes it a point to consistently appear backed up by his team - police chief, fire chief, members of his staff, and various police officers and firefighters - has consistently evangelized a "let's-pull-together" cause that has met its objective. America is more united than she has been in the collective memories of most.

What has made the mayor such an effective leader in this unprecedented crisis?

He is an information master.
The mayor stands before every microphone armed with an impressive list of facts and detail that would make any consultant proud. The mayor understands that the media - the people who help organize and make sense of the news - rely on facts and details. We, as a nation, crave facts and details. We don't approve of lectures or polemics from our leaders. The mayor complies by providing details.

He stays close to his constituents.
Every day since Sept. 11, the mayor has consistently rallied New Yorkers and the world that "we're in this together," and "we will get through this." There is no hint of panic in his eyes, only determination. Giuliani's steadfast leadership took him directly to the World Trade Center after the planes struck; the buildings' subsequent destruction came very close to killing him and many of his aides. He wore the baseball caps with the insignias of the New York City fire and police departments. He wore jeans. He was involved. He wasn't in a suit, ill at ease with his surroundings. He is comfortable in his own skin, and that can only come by identifying strongly with his community.

He is extremely visible.
While some of the more shortsighted among us may describe this as megalomania or just a politician being a politician, Giuliani's constant presence and evangelizing of returning to normal has been reassuring. It is an antidote to fear, uncertainty and doubt. The fact that Giuliani can comfortably stand in front of hundreds of reporters and speak authoritatively without the aid of a TelePrompter is part of the reason of why his approval ratings are nearly 100 percent.

He has been strong yet restrained.
Giuliani has maintained a strong balance between reverence for the dead and the need for New York and other cities to keep moving, to keep living. He has not called for new laws, nor made political pronouncements. He has been apolitical, imploring the rest of us to resume as much of our normal lives as possible, to keep our culture intact.

The mayor's leadership has been a guiding force for America as she recovers her senses. Because of Giuliani's compass, everyone from David Letterman, to Saturday Night Live to Wabash & Lake newsletter subscriber Donna Itzoe of Dallas, Texas -- who flew to New York for a business trip 10 days after the attack -- have cited Giuliani's evangelistic appeal to get back to business.