I was staying at a hotel in Fairfax, VA that morning. We were not far from the Pentagon and could see the smoke.
I’ll always remember how – within an hour or two – the hotel had letters under every door, explaining that a chapel had been set up in one of the conference rooms, and also that guests could stay in their rooms as many days as they needed since air-travel was obviously in chaos for the foreseeable future.
On the next morning I called Hertz rent-a-car and got an operator on the first ring. I explained that I had been booked to fly back to Nebraska and was stuck, and could I please drive my rental car cross-country. I was expecting a significant “one way” rental charge like the rental companies usually apply, but the lady said, “Sir, you can keep that car as long as you need it and return it anywhere in the US or Canada at the local rate. Just call us every few days to let us know your status and if you need it longer.”
Those may have been small gestures in the grand scheme, but those two things always stuck with me as examples of good, executive-level leadership at a time of chaos. It impressed me now quickly two very large corporations were able to empower their ground-level employees to make significant decisions with wide-ranging financial effects. Government and military should frequently take lessons on efficiency from the private sector.
