8.45 am Sep 11, 2001
I was in my hotel room, at the Marriott Tarrytown in Westchester County, NY. The Today show was on in the background as I got ready for a job interview that was scheduled for 10am just up county a bit. I was nervous as I had just been laid off the day before, and my mentors had scrambled to get me an opportunity in a different department.
Everyone knows what happened one minute later. I stared at the TV, not comprehending what I was watching.
When I left 10 minutes after that, the news correspondents, and much of the world. thought it was a terrible accident.
As up drove up the Sawmill Parkway a few minutes later, my phone rang...it was my mom from California. She was worried.
A second plane had hit the second tower.
This was no accident.
I was frozen, yet somehow still driving. This was happening 20 miles to the south of me. I had no idea what to do.
We all have a 9/11 story. Mine was relatively benign… I was never in any physical danger but was shocked, confused, and scared along with the rest of the world. My friend Tabitha, who worked in Westchester, but lived in New York City, could not get back home as they had closed all access points into the City. Luckily, I had space in my hotel room for her…we shared clothes, tears, and a desire to help. Sadly, when we tried to give blood that awful day, we were turned away as it was not needed.
At 10 AM on September 11, my interview began. As she led me into her office, I distinctly remember the person who was interviewing me saying to others “Get back to work."
I could barely get through the interview as I was so shocked. Who was this person, and could I really work for her? I could not believe a supposed leader could be so cold in the face of such a huge tragedy.
I heard other, better, stories of leadership… Stories of managers who sent people home, or invited them to stay, whichever would be better for the person; stories of managers who cried with team members, stories of managers who invited people into their own homes so they had a place to stay, and so many more.
The best managers did not assume they knew the answers, or that their own experience was the same as others. As with any crisis, the best managers thought of their teams first and provided support.
Kerri Kelly, who joins Sherry and me on the podcast this week, was in NYC that day and has a much more personally harrowing story. 9/11 was the springboard for Kerri to take a hard look at her life and the contributions she wanted to make, which eventually resulted in her book, #AmericanDetox
Please listen in as Kerri shares her personal journey and inspires us to consider the “well-being of we, instead of the well-being of me.”
Here, or wherever you get your podcasts: https://lnkd.in/gGHUEgbD
