10 Leadership Nuggets from Mayor Ed Koch

Ed Koch brings us lessons in authenticity, candor, and having a can-do attitude.

"Do ya miss me?"

Growing up in New York City, Ed Koch was my mayor. When I heard that he'd passed, I was immediately transported back to the first time I met him.

I was around 10 years old, and walking with my family downtown. He walked right up to us, vigorously shook all of our hands, asked us each: “How’m I doin?” I was thrilled!

I've thought of that often over the years. I've met many politicians but he's the only one whose exact words I can remember. They were simple and straight to the point and he'd addressed the smallest person there in the same way he'd addressed the adults. There's a lot to learn in that, both in the asking and how the asking was done.

Koch was a larger than life figure. When asked "What is your most marked characteristic?" His answer was "Candor."

Here are my 10 leadership nuggets from Mayor Koch:

1. “How’m I doin?”

2. "I think you have to like people... You have to be genuinely appreciative of having been elevated to this extraordinary position, and never, ever, believe all of the nice things that are said about you. Because people tend to tell you what you want to hear."

3. "If you agree with me on 9 out of 12 issues, vote for me. If you agree with me on 12 out of 12 issues, see a psychiatrist."

4. “What was important was that everybody knew I was honest.”

5. “You don't have to love them. You just have to respect their rights.”

6. “Tone can be as important as text.”

7. “It’s a lot more fun being a critic than being the one criticized.”

8. “When I was elected, I said to myself, ‘Can I do this?’... But the people picked me! For good or bad. And now I have to do my best.”

9. “I think my personality was helpful in this job... I realized that if I was to harness the energies of the people of the city of New York and give them back their pride, I would have to become bigger than life. And I did.”

10. Asked what trait he deplored most in himself: "A willingness to go with my gut feeling, rather than wait a day and contemplate other options."

OK. Mayor Koch needs 5 more:

11. “I’m the sort of person who will never get ulcers. Why? Because I say exactly what I think. I’m the sort of person who might give other people ulcers."

12. “People get tired of you. So they decided to throw me out. And so help me God, as the numbers were coming in, I said to myself, ‘I’m free at last.’ ”

13. “Twelve years ago, if someone attacked me, I wouldn’t let them get away with it. I’d take them on. I now perceive my job to include allowing people to vent their rage.”

14. ''The knife of corruption endangered the life of New York City; the scalpel of the law is making us well again''

15. "The fireworks begin today. Each diploma is a lighted match. Each one of you is a fuse."

You might not have always agreed with him, but you couldn't ignore him.

Want to know more about Mayor Ed Koch? See his obituary in the New York Times and this interview.

Which are your favorites? Is there one that is missing that should be on the list? Do you have a memory of Mayor Koch? Share them below or let me know via Twitter (I'm @lucymarcus)

Photo credit: @mayoredkoch

I've updated this post to include this video by the New York Times. Last Word: In an interview conducted in 2007, Former Mayor Edward I. Koch reflected on his life and political career, and talked of how he would like to be remembered.