Are leaders born or made? Ask Rudy Giuliani

Contrary to the popular belief in Africa that leaders are born not made, Giuliani believes leaders are made by what they have been taught throughout life - lessons learned at schools, from parents, personal experience, churches and people they worked with, among others.

"When something happens, it affects everyone around you, so you think you become an expert in crisis management," Giuliani said, recalling his personal experience as NYC mayor during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Six principles of leadership

He said there are six principles of leadership people need to focus on if they want to achieve positive results in leadership.

The US lawyer, author, businessman and politician said: "First of all, you must have a strong belief and have plans. You cannot lead if you don't know where you are going and where your organisation is going.

"You must have goals and objectives. If not, people won't get anywhere because they don't know where the leader is going."

Giuliani also said a leader must apply his or her mind, conscience and experience to figure out what should be achieved in an organisation.

He referred to the late President Ronald Reagan as the man of strong beliefs, who believed that communism was evil and must be fought. He also praised Dr Martin Luther King for his non-violence philosophy to change the American society.

Great leaders are optimists

"A leader should be an optimist. Accept things that go wrong, but find a way to turn them around," he said.

"Nowadays, people follow leaders that offer them hope. You will have to train yourself to become a problem-solver. People who grow organisations are the people who solve problems.

"Have a great sense of optimism and a better understanding of the situation and give yourself a best chance to win and solve problems."

Giuliani has often been remembered for his great sense of courage and leadership of New York's recovery in the aftermath of 9/11 attacks.

Courage to take risks

He said: "A good leader must have courage. There is risk everywhere. When firefighters go to work and soldiers go to war, they know that they risk their lives, but still they manage that fear through courage, wearing special equipment and better preparation.

"That is why relentless preparation is the key to success. Deal with risk by preparing relentlessly. Practice, practice and practice to be able to deal much better with challenges and questions when they arise."

Furthermore, Giuliani, a former recipient of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Freedom Award, emphasised the importance of team work, saying it is an enormous factor in leadership.

Acknowledge your weaknesses

"Surround yourself with good people and always ask this question: what are my weaknesses? What don't I do well? If you say nothing, then ask your wife or children. They will know.

"Remember, you can do anything if you get very good people to help you. Don't pretend to know everything."

And lastly, he said communication is a vital tool in leadership.

African leadership

Bizcommunity.com overheard one delegate telling her colleague: "It is now crystal clear why Africa is not going anywhere year in year out. Our leaders don't follow even one single of these six principles. Their own principle is to impose and enrich themselves."

Earlier on, Richmont SA CEO Johann Rupert and author and university lecturer Nassim Taleb spoke about the global financial crisis and the 'Black Swan', respectively.

Bizcommunity is a media partner of the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit.

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