YOUNGSTOWN Leadership expert to share his knowledge, offer tips

He says it's important to have strong grounding and ethics.
By JoANNE VIVIANO
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN -- Youngstown State University students who attend Dr. David Kozak's "Leadership in Business and Politics" lecture today will walk away with 30 pages of the best tips he's gleaned over 31 years of studying leadership.
Kozak's Leadership Tool Kit comes from his work at places like the U.S. Military Academy, the U.S. Air Force Academy, the National War College and the Center for the Study of the Presidency.
"What will be emphasized is that it is imperative that all leaders understand the things they do will be scrutinized," said Kozak, professor of public policy and director of leadership studies at Gannon University in Erie, Pa. "You have to have strong grounding and ethics."
Kozak, who is also director of Leadership Erie, was to speak at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. today in the Ohio Room of YSU's Kilcawley Center, as part of the 2003 Williamson Symposium Series.
Further nuggets he'll pass on are "you've got to be willing to give power away to people who are deserving" and "you've got to develop a brain trust." (His Rolodex holds about 800 names.)
On politics, current events
In a discussion with community leaders, Kozak will touch on American politics and its impact on the economy. He'll offer insights on Sept. 11; the Washington, D.C., sniper shootings; the second war in Iraq; and the Department of Homeland Security -- representing the third-largest government department and the largest government reorganization since 1947.
He'll also discuss Al Gore's declination; the 2002 election and Republican control; the race for the presidency and the importance of votes in three states and the California governor recall issue.
Kozak helped pen a 1988 article of "notes to the next president" with Ronald Reagan's chief of staff, worked with Bill Clinton's staff, attended national nominating conventions and had Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter speak to his classes. He has not met George W. Bush but would tell him to get out of Iraq and "let others do the lifting." He said the link between politics and business is viable.
"It is an important link. The president is judged on the state of the economy, and the state of the economy affects what a president can do," he said. "Now we've got an economy that's sluggish at best and we're running up a huge deficit. ... That's really something that should give us all pause."