Karen Masullo
According to Northouse (2013) “leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of individuals to achieve a common goal” (p. 5). What if the common goal was reacting and coping to something catastrophic? Is there a trait or traits that a leader has and can utilize in times of crisis to keep his followers safe and together? Using the Five Factor Model (FFM) of Personality (PSU WC, 2014, L.2) and an interview with Rudolph Guiliani will attempt to determine if these are traits that leaders have at their disposal in times of crisis.
Rudolph Giuliani was the Mayor of New York City on September 11, 2001. Ironically, at the time that the two planes hit the World Trade Center, he had been working on a book about leadership. He had gone over basically everything that he had learned throughout his career about being a leader. In an interview on the tenth anniversary of 9/11, he alluded to the fact that he was able to “handle September 11 precisely because I was the same person who had been doing his best to take on challenges my whole career” (Forbes 2011, n.p.). The corresponds to Extraversion (Surgency) in the FFM having self-confidence and decisiveness as descriptors (Barrick,1999).
Guiliani had a biography of Winston Churchill at his bedside that he turned to the night of September 12. He began reading it because he realized that there were parallels between what had happened in New York City the previous day and the constant bombing that England faced during World War II when Churchill was Prime Minister. Asked why he turned to reading Guiliani replied he was “just repeating habitual conduct whenever I was into something new or something I thought might be a little over my head. I would always go look for a book to help me” (Forbes, 2011, n.p.). This relates Openness to Experience (Intellectance) in his being inquisitive and knowing to turn to a book for help (PSU WC, 2014, L.2).
Having a plan to get both the Police and Fire departments to work together showed Guiliani’s Conscientiousness (Dependability) (PSU WC. 2014, L.2). He knew that they would be required to work jointly because of the immense impact to the city because of what had happened. This was not an easy task because the two departments had a rivalry that dated back generations. Guiliani wanted to make sure both the Fire and Police departments worked together because this was a situation never experienced before in New York City (Forbes, 2011).
Asked how he managed to stay calm amid the chaos, Guilani related that his father had always taught him to stay calm and then he would be able to think and make better decisions. Acting in a panic would lead to bad decisions. He said he would “take whatever panic I felt and basically just ignore it. Even if you don’t feel calm pretend you are” (Forbes, 2011,n.p) Being able to stay calm and think clearly corresponds to Neuroticism (Emotional Stability/Adjustment) in the FFM (PSU WC, 2014, L. 2).
After the initial first few days of horror, Guiliani was able to show the last of the FFM-Agreeableness using both empathy and optimism (Barrick, 1999). He was empathetic in the fact that he grieved along with all the other citizens of New York City for the tremendous loss of life. He sometimes attended multiple funerals during the weeks after the attacks. He was also optimistic in telling New Yorkers that they although it would take time, the city would bounce back. He let the people who lived in the city know how strong and resilient they were, and that they would get through this together (Forbes, 2011).
While it is impossible to generalize among all leaders that they will exhibit the traits described in the FFM, in the case of Mayor Rudolph Guiliani and the events of 9/11, the five traits were indeed shown and used. In his leadership during the initial attacks and the months afterward he utilized: “Conscientiousness (Dependability), Agreeableness, Neuroticism (Emotional Stability/Adjustment), Openness to Experience (Intellectance), and Extraversion (Surgency)” (PSU WC, 2014, L. 2, p.3). This allowed Mayor Guiliani to show extraordinary leadership in an extraordinary time.
References
Barrick, M.R. (1999). Answers to lingering questions about personality research. Paper presented at the 14th Annual Conference of the Society of Industrial and Organizational Psychology, Atlanta, GA.
Forbes, S. (2011). Remembering 9/11: The Rudy Giuliani Interview. Forbes Magazine. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/steveforbes/2011/09/09/remembering-911-the-rudy-giuliani-intrview/print
Northouse, P.G. (2013). Leadership Theory and Practice (6th ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus (2014). PSYCH 485 Lesson 2: Trait Approach. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp14/psych485/001/content/02_lesson/printlesson.html
Susan Hicks says
When something tragic happens, such as the events that occurred on 9/11, we remember where we were and what we were doing at the time the news broke to us because our mind triggers this event as tragic, monumental, and a threat to our very survival. I remember exactly where I was and remember seeing Rudolph Giuliani on the news telling people to be calm. Your depiction of him in your post as a leader was very touching to me as I see these qualities in him as I remember the events of that day.
My experience in the fire service has given me some insight into how people handle crisis situations similar but not on the immense level that he was faced with on that day. Of all the characteristics of the Five Factor Model of Personality (FFM) that you mentioned, the one that I remember most about him (from a Fireman’s perspective) was the determination to find the survivors. Waiting on the edge of my seat to be called to go, I stayed with the news reports because my heart went out to the victims and their families. My empathy was with those fire fighters and with Giuliani as the dangerous search continued. In a New York Times article published in retrospect of the incident, Giuliani speaks from the heart when he exhibits the determination of the father of the city as he stated during the crisis that his “focus now has to be to save as many lives as possible” (Powell, 2007). Staying calm but having the determination to find and bring closure to the victims’ family resonated with the American people as the determination of a leader, that very special someone who lead the city through tragedy and in bringing the victims home. However, we don’t remember Giuliani for his foibles as mayor and nor do we want to. Giuliani was not the perfect mayor of New York City, but when the world needed a hero, a leader, a voice, and a comforting confident, Giuliani certainly was there to fill those needs of an ailing nation. He made us all feel, with his empathetic determination, that although the events of 9/11 were tragic and monumental, there was no question that we as a nation would survive.
References:
Powell, M. (2007). In 9/11 Chaos, Giuliana Forged a Lasting Image. The New York Times. September 21 ,2007. Retrieved January 25, 2014 from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/21/us/politics/21giuliani.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0