Millions of people have their personal stories of “where were you” on this day - many of them tragic of course. I remember every detail as I was able to see the towers from just outside my apartment. I had many friends who lived downtown who escaped uptown covered in ash. I remember calmly walking into my son’s school and pulling him out of Kindegarten class shortly after drop off - minutes after the first plane hit - and the teacher being surprised when I told her that classes were likely going to be canceled today. I didn’t know why at the time - just a journalist’s sense something bigger was unfolding. When my son and I walked out of school - the second plane hit...and the school scrambled to begin the process of canceling school and arranging for parents to pick up their children while they sheltered in place until they could do so.
Having spent a lifetime in Journalism and HR - I was in awe that the Wall Street Journal - whose newsroom was right across the street - was able to publish on time the next day. And I have never felt more humbled in my career than when I was asked to lead HR and Comms for the Wall Street Journal seven years later - and meet and befriend many of the journalists who reported and published on that day. One was Jim Pensiero - who stepped up and led the newsroom on 9/11 when they thought the editor in Chief was dead - as commemorated and outlined in this piece. Jim is a remarkably strong and humble leader.
Many companies and consultants speak about “resilience”, “commitment”, and “dedication” - but unless you have professionals who are inspired by their own source of meaning and value - like these journalists - and countless others who place themselves in harms way because they can’t imagine not doing so to get to the story that must be told - then these words are just platitudes and companies will always be disappointed by “employee engagement.”
