I became the 72nd Secretary of the Navy on May 24, 2001. A little more than three months later, I was thrust into the middle of a terrifying situation where I needed to bring to bear every leadership principle I had ever learned.
Like many Americans, I watched in horror on the morning of 9/11 as terrorists crashed airplanes into the World Trade Center. Our entire military force went on high alert. We didn't yet know who was responsible for this heinous act or where they might be, or if they'd attack us again within hours or days. Tens of thousands of people working for the Navy all around the world wanted answers. Until we could learn more, we had none to give them.
Thousands of enlisted personnel, commissioned officers, and civilian employees stepped forward for their country and shouldered their burdens side by side to ensure that our bases, ships, and personnel were safe, secure, and vigilant. These dedicated men and women, many with different cultural backgrounds and belief systems, exhibited team leadership at every level and exemplified what retired four‐star Air Force General John Michael Loh once told me when he said: “No one is more important than anyone else.” I often tell people that I was not the Deputy Secretary of Defense or Secretary of the Navy. I served in those roles, ...
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