Conversations in Management
Some
people are uncomfortable speaking before Senate sub-committees,
but New York City’s Mayor LaGuardia wasn’t one of them. On this
occasion, he’d been particularly critical of a Judge O’Brien. As
he rose to leave, Senator Clark wryly observed that the Judge
was one of LaGuardia’s own appointees. That’s when LaGuardia
responded with this now famous line. It was classic LaGuardia;
spontaneous, humorous and to the point. He could easily afford a
few beauts because he enjoyed a singularly successful
life. He was raised in Arizona and joined the U.S. Consular
Service at 17. He served in Budapest, Trieste and Fiume—mastering
seven languages—before returning to the States to pick up a
law degree. After a brief stint as Deputy Attorney General of
New York, he was elected to the House of Representatives in
1916. He didn’t stay in Washington long. When the U.S. entered
WWI, he resigned his seat to fly combat missions on the
Italian-Austrian Front. By the war’s end, he’d achieved the rank
of Major and assumed command of his squadron. He regained his
Congressional seat in 1922 and served until 1933 when the
Democrats swept into power. LaGuardia, however, had been an
ardent reformer in the House and despite being a Republican was
an enthusiastic champion of the New Deal. Roosevelt took note,
and the two became political allies. In 1933, he successfully
ran for Mayor of New York and kept the job for the next 12
years. They were busy years. LaGuardia started as a relentless
gang-buster and managed to send Lucky Luciano to
jail while breaking up Frank Costello’s gambling racket. He also
reformed city government, built low-cost housing, developed a
superb transportation infrastructure and unified the subway
system. Moreover, when he discovered that flights to New York
City actually landed in New Jersey, he directed the building of
the airport that now bears his name.
But
LaGuardia wasn’t just about projects. He had a gift for
connecting with people. He was a hands-on leader and
could be found on the scene of almost every disaster, accident
or emergency that occurred during his administration. He
connected with children, too. During a newspaper strike, he took
to the airwaves on Sunday mornings and read the comics to the
kids (adults liked it too). To check the city’s pulse, he
sometimes presided in Municipal Court. During one session he
fined a man $10 for stealing a loaf of bread and then fined
everyone in the court room fifty cents, “for living in a city
where a man has to steal bread in order to eat.” LaGuardia
collected the “fines” and sent the defendant home with $47.50
for his family. The mayor could certainly afford a few beauts.
There’s
something refreshing about a politician admitting a mistake.
Today such an admission would bring on a torrent of criticism
and questions about one’s judgment. Even worse, a
reasoned change of opinion brings the dreaded charge of
“flip-flopping.” Unfortunately, this attitude has made its way
into the workplace where even the whisper of a blunder can start
brows sweating. If someone actually makes a mistake, common
reactions include shifting the blame, minimizing the error or
flatly denying it was a mistake at all! A lot of energy is
poured into rationalizing the problem or putting the right
spin on it. That can lead to a cover-up, which as some folks
have learned the hard way (think Martha Stewart), can cause more
damage than the original problem. None of this is really
helpful. The effort put into dodging blame usually makes things
worse, extends the pain and could be better used to correct the
mistake. So if you’re wrong—fess-up. We’re all entitled
to the occasional beaut.
—Ebert
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