My Mistake at Ground Zero, and the Business Lesson Learned

No matter how long you looked, your brain simply could not process the scene.

I started writing a piece about the time I spent working at Ground Zero, but it was sounding very dark and whiney. It was all wrong. So instead of walking you through the story, I’m just going to get to the point.

The point is this; my time at Ground Zero is one of the biggest regrets of my life.

Not the time I spent there, I regret the time that I didn’t spend. The time I didn’t spend because I thought it was more important to go back to work.

Opportunities Lost

You may recall—or you may have never even known—that within days of the tragedy, Ground Zero was cordoned off and heavily guarded. Not just from the enemy, but from everyone.

Journalists were not allowed in. Good people who showed up to help were turned away. Neighbors and local restaurants bringing food for the workers were sent home.

No one was allowed access to the site except the official rescue workers and people approved through the Red Cross who had undergone background checks.

Because of a business connection, I was lucky enough to be included in the second group.

Because of my connection to my business, I only stayed one day.

What an idiot.

A simple piece of plastic that I'll keep forever.

People across the country and around the globe were itching to help in any way they could. A week after the attack, New Yorkers still lined the streets holding signs and cheering as we drove in an authorized car in the lanes dedicated to Ground Zero traffic.

These people stood for hours on the side of the road just to wish a moment of thanks and encouragement to the passing workers. They did what they could to contribute.

And I flew back to my job after just one day.

Misplaced Mind

Only someone who has worked in a company in startup mode can understand what was going through my head. In September of 2001 I worked for a startup that was fast growing and exciting and stimulating. It was also understaffed and disorganized and unfocused. We had a constantly shifting vision that kept us all running in circles.

And despite what was going on around me, on any given day, during any given event, my mind spun around those circles like a dog chasing its tail. Very little could break that focus.

Apparently not even one of the biggest tragedies in American history. I had to get back to work.

Blech. That’s all I can say.

Words of encouragement and thanks from kids to the workers were posted on nearby buildings, telephone poles and mailboxes. Everyone did their part.

Of course, no one told me I had to get back to work. Startups don’t work like that. You just know. In fact, looking back now I’m sure the entrepreneur I worked for would have been there in a flash to help if he could have gotten credentials.

But that didn’t occur to me then. Then, what occurred to me was everything that wasn’t getting done while I was away. If you’ve worked for a company in startup mode, I know you’re nodding your head right now.

What Mattered Most

I met amazing people on my one day. I met Tommy and Paulie and Johnny and Jimmy. Apparently all New York City firefighters have names ending in ‘ee.’ They were handsome and heroic and tired and strong.

I served them Uncle Bens rice bowls and the best coffee at Ground Zero. They came to take a break and to talk, for a jolt of caffeine or just for a quiet place to sit.

Everyone of them, without fail, asked first about me. Had I lost someone? Was I okay? I hadn’t, and I was.

Except that I needed to get back to work.

And so I did.

After just one day – one of the most amazing days of my life – I raced back to a job that in the scheme of things was as important as an extra toe.

It’s a mistake in priorities that I’ll never repeat.

The Sights of the Day

During the days following 9-11 no cameras were allowed at Ground Zero, but for some reason the workers let us capture the moment. We were asked to keep the pictures out of circulation for a while. I don’t think that applies anymore.

It’s the memories of the people of that day that I’ll always cherish. The sights of the day that I’ll never forget. And the business lesson learned in hindsight that I’ll take with me moving forward.

I don’t have permission from the Johnny’s and the Jimmy’s to show their faces, so I’m keeping those pictures to myself.

This is what else I saw, and for reasons I’ll never repeat, walked away from the week following 9-11. Don’t follow in my footsteps.

View from inside a neighboring building.

One of the few remaining walls, captured in many pictures.

That iconic facade from farther away.

View from the corner.

Everything from sheet rock to iron scraps looked as flimsy and fragile as paper.

View from the other side of same building.

The buildings beside the towers were scorched.

Flags hung on the buildings surrounding the site.

They waved from every available surface.

And in every conceivable size.