The September 11 attacks did more than change America's security and foreign policy. They also tested a group of business leaders who suddenly had to guide their companies through a national crisis. Some of those leaders were made by that moment. Others were taken by it.
One of the clearest examples is Jeff Immelt. On the morning of the attacks, he was on a Stairmaster in Seattle, about to hold a town hall on just his second day as CEO of General Electric. He looked up at a television screen and saw the second plane hit the World Trade Center.
Jeff Immelt's Second Day as GE CEO
Immelt had just taken over from his old boss, Jack Welch, one of the most famous CEOs in American business history. Instead of introducing himself to employees in a planned town hall, he found himself leading a major American company through the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil.
According to Fortune's CEO Daily, the newsletter looked back at how different leaders faced that crisis. Immelt's story stands out because of the timing. He had almost no time to settle into the job before the country was hit.
Why This Leadership Story Still Matters
The 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks is a moment to think about more than just the tragedy itself. It is also a moment to think about the people who had to make decisions in real time, with very little information and enormous pressure.
Fortune's CEO Daily noted that this is a different country because of those attacks, and that people from all over the world rallied to help America in its time of grief. That context matters when we judge how leaders performed.
- Jeff Immelt was on his second day as GE CEO when the attacks happened
- He was in Seattle, on a Stairmaster, when he saw the second plane hit
- He was preparing for a town hall that never happened as planned
- His predecessor was Jack Welch, a legendary figure at GE
- The 25th anniversary of the attacks is being marked now
Our Take: Leadership Is Tested, Not Chosen
In our view, the story of 9/11's leaders is a reminder that no one gets to pick the moment they are tested. Jeff Immelt did not choose to start his tenure as GE CEO on the day of the worst terrorist attack in American history. But that is what happened.
To put it plainly, the leaders who came through that period well were not necessarily the most talented or the most experienced. They were the ones who could stay calm, communicate clearly, and make decisions without a full picture. That is a lesson that still applies today, whether a company is facing a crisis or just a difficult quarter.
The leaders 9/11 took were the ones who died in the attacks, including first responders and workers who never made it home. The leaders it made were the ones who had to step up in the days and months that followed. Both groups deserve to be remembered on this anniversary.
