Strength and Calm

About more than a month ago, a friend and I passed by a bookstore that sells hand-me-downs. I found this book very interesting. 

It satisfied my curiosity about what really took place during the 9/11 tragedy. With my fascination over investigative shows and stories, this was a treat. 

As I was reading the full account of this unimaginable tragedy, I came across this scene that I found worth sharing. Here's a condensed excerpt... 

When American 11 struck the World Trade Center at 8:46, no one in the White House or traveling with President Bush knew that it had been hijacked. Most Federal agencies learned about the crash in New York from CNN.

In Sarasota, Florida, the presidential motorcade was arriving at Emma E. Booker Elementary School, where President Bush was to read to a class and talk about education (my comment: this reminded me of a scene in 24).

White House Chief of Staff Andrew Card told us he was standing with the President outside the classroom when Senior Advisor to the President Karl Rove first informed them that a small , twin-engine plane had crashed into the World Trade Center. The President's reaction was that incident must have been caused by a pilot error.

At 8:55, before entering the classroom, the President spoke to National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, who was at the White House. She recalled first telling the President it was a twin-engine aircraft - that had struck the World Trade Center, adding "that's all we know right now, Mr. President."

 The President was seated in a classroom when, at 9:05, Andrew Card whispered to him: “A second plane hit the second tower, America is under attack.” The President told us his instinct was to project calm, not to have the country see an excited reaction at the moment of crisis. The press was standing behind the children; he saw their phones and pagers start to ring. The President felt he should project strength and calm until he could better understand what was happening.

While reading this part of the story, I imagined myself in the shoes of the President. This is an utterly difficult situation. You are caught in a dilemma. The country that you lead is under attack but you don't know the details yet. One decision could ruin your leadership and, more importantly, your people. In reality, you are dead worried but you cannot project that because you know your worry will worry the people that you lead, not to mention you are in the presence of children who are away from their parents. Everyone is waiting for your decisions, your actions and your reasons. Some people would like to see you worried too and others pull their strength from you. You cannot be drawn to other people's emotions but you have to think on your own. You cannot be taken away by your own fears and defenses. You have to be objective even at the time of crisis. You have to be strong and it is your only choice.

These observations led me to thinking that while everyone can lead, maybe, just maybe, not everyone can be leaders. Not everyone has the tenacity to balance two opposite emotions in equal measure and project like there's no war inside the heart.

Strength and Calm.