Engagement Pathway

Leadership Under Pressure

Exploring Leadership Through Responsibility, Decision-Making, and Service

The events of September 11 revealed moments of extraordinary pressure. Some leaders acted publicly. Others worked quietly behind the scenes. Some prepared for years before crisis arrived. Others were forced to make difficult decisions in real time, often without complete information, clear outcomes, or established playbooks to follow.

Workplace College & MBA High School 9–12 Civic Organizations Individuals

About This Pathway

Leadership as a Lived Practice

The Leadership Under Pressure pathway invites participants to explore these moments through firsthand accounts, historical case studies, oral histories, and guided reflection. Rather than approaching leadership as abstract theory, this experience examines leadership as a lived practice shaped by responsibility, judgment, preparation, communication, and service.

Participants engage with stories of individuals and institutions navigating uncertainty, consequence, and change. Along the way, they are encouraged to consider not only what happened, but what leadership required in those moments — and what those lessons may reveal about leadership today.

Featured Profiles

Leadership in Action — Real People, Real Decisions

These are not leadership mythologies. They are opportunities for inquiry. Each story reveals how individuals lead under pressure — without certainty, without complete information, and with consequence.

Andy Card White House Chief of Staff

Tasked with informing President Bush of the second plane strike, balancing urgency, responsibility, and composure as events rapidly unfolded.

Leon Panetta CIA Director / Secretary of Defense

Inherited a nearly decade-long mission and guided the intelligence and operational process that led to the location and elimination of Osama bin Laden.

Herm Edwards Head Coach, New York Jets

Allowed his team to decide collectively whether to return to the field — modeling leadership that honors the human dimension of a team over institutional pressure.

Bobby Valentine Manager, New York Mets

Shifted from Mets manager to recovery support as Shea Stadium became an operations hub — adapting his role to community need during civic crisis.

Roger Ferguson Vice Chairman, Federal Reserve

The only Fed governor in Washington that morning, he worked to stabilize the financial system and prevent widespread economic panic while chaos unfolded around him.

Sasseville & Penney F-16 Pilots, U.S. Air Force

Prepared to intercept Flight 93 without weapons — volunteering to sacrifice their aircraft if needed. Decision-making under orders with no good options.

Rick Rescorla Head of Security, Morgan Stanley

His years of preparation — drilling employees on evacuation routes despite internal resistance — saved nearly 2,700 lives. He died helping others evacuate.

Dana & Tim Born Military Family

Their story explores leadership through service and sacrifice — how courage, trust, and resilience helped one military family endure the uncertainty and chaos of September 11.

Jessica Jamroz Memorial Advocate, New Jersey

Her story blends artistic vision, emotional stewardship, and relentless advocacy — showing how remembrance demands memory, leadership, and resolve.

Chris Braman U.S. Army — 60 Hours in the Pentagon

A visceral, deeply human portrait of instinctive courage and quiet reverence during sixty hours inside the Pentagon in the immediate aftermath of the attack.

Ambassador Nicholas Burns U.S. Ambassador to NATO

Recounts his experience coordinating NATO's response — exploring how to lead beyond the limits of imagination to face down a moment of unprecedented crisis.

The 9/11 Boatlift Collective Story

The spontaneous heroism of ordinary mariners who turned chaos into coordination and fear into fierce compassion — a story of instinct, solidarity, and resolve.

Nation’s Promise

Leadership Stories

Twelve firsthand leadership stories from the companion book Nation's Promise. Each will be available as a free download for individual reading, classroom use, team discussion, or organizational learning — get notified when they go live.

01 Under Attack: Chief of Staff Andrew Card on 9/11 Andy Card · White House Chief of Staff

In a moment of national crisis, Andy Card exemplified quiet leadership — balancing urgency, responsibility, and composure as the events of September 11 rapidly unfolded.

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02 The Right Call: Herm Edwards on America's Huddle Herm Edwards · Head Coach, New York Jets

Edwards's decisive leadership as coach of the NFL's Jets, his team's visit to Ground Zero, and the deeper meanings of service, unity, and responsibility.

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03 A Harbor of Helpers: Stories from the 9/11 Boatlift Collective Story · Maritime Community

The spontaneous heroism of ordinary mariners who turned chaos into coordination and fear into fierce compassion — a story of instinct, solidarity, and resolve.

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04 Watching, Waiting, Leading: Dana and Tim Born Dana & Tim Born · Military Family

Leadership through service and sacrifice — how courage, trust, and resilience helped one military family endure the uncertainty and chaos of September 11.

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05 Keep it Going: Roger Ferguson and the Financial System on 9/11 Roger Ferguson · Vice Chairman, Federal Reserve

With the Fed Chairman overseas, Ferguson was the highest-ranking official in the country — taking decisive action to stabilize the financial system and prevent economic panic.

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06 From Dugout to Duty: Bobby Valentine and the Spirit of New York Bobby Valentine · Manager, New York Mets

A poignant look at how the Mets manager used presence and service to help a wounded city begin to heal as Shea Stadium became a relief hub.

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07 Asked, Not Tasked: Marc Sasseville and the Air National Guard Response Marc Sasseville & Heather Penney · USAF Pilots

Two pilots prepared to intercept Flight 93 without weapons — a profile of leadership, sacrifice, and decision-making with no good options.

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08 Wound and Heart: Jessica Jamroz's Fight for New Jersey Families Jessica Jamroz · Memorial Advocate

Artistic vision, emotional stewardship, and relentless advocacy — the unfinished memorial as both a symbol of loss and an emblem of resilience.

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09 The Weight of the Mission: Leon Panetta Leon Panetta · CIA Director / Secretary of Defense

A meditation on vigilance, public service, and what it means to carry an enduring responsibility forward — leadership forged in history's crucible.

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10 A Soldier's Promise: Chris Braman's Sixty Hours Inside the Pentagon Chris Braman · U.S. Army

A visceral, deeply human portrayal of instinctive courage and leading through fire — a reminder that leaders may not be trained for what they face, but rise to meet it.

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11 Friends in the World: Ambassador Nicholas Burns on NATO's Response Ambassador Nicholas Burns · U.S. Ambassador to NATO

Burns recounts coordinating NATO's response during the attacks — leading beyond the limits of imagination to face down a moment of unprecedented crisis.

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12 Sung To Safety: Remembering Rick Rescorla Rick Rescorla · Head of Security, Morgan Stanley

The power of leadership before the moment of crisis — how preparation, courage, and responsibility shaped outcomes long before danger appeared.

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How the Pathway Works

Five Phases of Engagement

The pathway moves through five phases. You may enter at any point depending on your context. Each phase activates a stage of the Active Remembrance engagement model.

Cross-Environment Adaptability

Works Across Every Audience

Organizations & Leadership Teams

Businesses, nonprofits, healthcare systems, public agencies, and community organizations can facilitate discussions around leadership, preparedness, communication, resilience, and institutional responsibility.

Colleges, Universities & MBA Programs

Students engage with leadership through real-world examples exploring ethics, decision-making, organizational behavior, crisis response, and civic responsibility.

Schools & Educators

Teachers can connect historical events with leadership, service, citizenship, and reflective inquiry — particularly for high school and AP-level courses.

Community & Civic Organizations

Community groups can use the experience to support leadership development, public dialogue, volunteer engagement, and discussions around responsibility and service.

Individuals

Independent learners can explore leadership through reading, reflection, discussion, and personal inquiry — on their own schedule and at their own depth.

Coming Soon

Additional formats for military, veteran organizations, and faith communities in development.

Long-Term Vision

Pressure Both Tests and Reveals Leadership

The stories this experience explores demonstrate how individuals and institutions respond when responsibility, uncertainty, and consequence converge. They remind us that leadership is not defined solely by authority or outcomes, but by preparation, judgment, service, communication, and the willingness to act when circumstances become difficult.

In doing so, participants are invited to consider not only what leadership looked like then — but what it might require of them now.

Leadership is not defined solely by authority or outcomes, but by preparation, judgment, service, communication, and the willingness to act when circumstances become difficult.

Related Curriculum

Lessons Connected to This Pathway

Individual lessons from the Response, Resilience, and Legacy pillars connect directly to the themes explored in this pathway.

Lessons Coming September 11, 2026

Curriculum lessons connected to all five pillars are being developed for the 25th anniversary. Check back as content rolls out through the summer.