Resolve in the Face of Crisis: A 9/11 Reflection 25 Years Later
By Rebecca Contreras
Twenty-five years later, I can still remember the moment our world and America changed.
On September 11, 2001, I was serving in the White House under the leadership of President George W. Bush. It was my first time moving and living out of Texas. David and I moved our young kids to answer the call to serve a President and our Country. That morning, as we hopped in the car to commute to the district from Manassas, VA, at 7:00 a.m., what began as a normal workday became one of the darkest days in American history. Like millions of Americans, I was trying to process information as it unfolded in real time. But from inside the White House, there was another layer to it: the realization that our nation was under attack and that the decisions being made around us carried consequences far beyond any walls or borders.
It felt surreal.
Information was moving quickly and changing by the minute. There was no playbook for what America was facing. There was fear and uncertainty, but there was also an extraordinary sense of duty. Thousands stood up to serve. Public servants, military personnel, law enforcement and leaders across government understood that the mission was bigger than any one of us.
Titles did not matter. Politics did not matter. Personal interests did not matter.
Service did.
Twenty-five years later, when I think about what I witnessed during that period, one word continues to come back to me. It is a word that I saw President Bush relentlessly display in his posture in that season over and over again: Resolve.
A Leader of Resolve
I have often described President George W. Bush as a leader of resolve because I had the privilege of witnessing what leadership looked like when the circumstances were at their absolute worst.
President Bush did not have every answer. Nobody did.
But people were looking for stability in the middle of chaos, and he understood the weight of that responsibility. He showed up. He gathered the information available to him. He listened to trusted advisors. He made decisions based on the information he had at that time. He communicated clearly. And through enormous uncertainty, he continually put Americans first.
That same evening, speaking to a shaken nation from the Oval Office, President Bush said that while the attacks had shattered steel, they could not “dent the steel of American resolve.” (George W. Bush White House Archives)
Nine days later, addressing Congress and the American people, he gave the country another declaration of that resolve: “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.” (George W. Bush White House Archives) RESOLVE at its best.
Those words are now part of our history. I had the privilege of watching the man and leadership behind those powerful words unfold, and it taught me something I have carried for the last 25 years:
Real leaders do not panic. They steady the room. No matter what chaos or crisis hits, leaders lead.
Leadership is not about eliminating uncertainty or having all the answers. Sometimes you simply cannot know what you know until much later on when all the facts begin to unwind. Leadership for me is about providing confidence and direction in the “moment” DESPITE the uncertainty. I also saw this tremendous skill demonstrated in my former White House boss Clay Johnson, the President’s top management and personnel guru and my now long-term mentor and friend of nearly 30 years. It is no doubt they are best friends from high school and college. There are so many leadership traits and similarities they both demonstrate in how they lead. I had the privilege to serve them both and see them in action. It shaped me.
When There Is No Playbook
September 11 also taught me that waiting until you get the perfect information can sometimes be more dangerous than making an informed decision imperfectly.
In a crisis, leaders rarely have the luxury of complete certainty. You gather the best information available to you. You surround yourself with trusted people and trust them. You rely on your values. You seek the guidance of the Almighty God. You make the best decision you can. And when circumstances change, you adjust. One of my earliest experiences with President George W. Bush after 9/11 came just one week following the attacks. Our Personnel team was preparing to enter the Oval Office to brief the President on personnel recommendations. As we gathered outside, there was an unusual silence among us. America had been attacked just seven days earlier.
Thousands had died. The nation was grieving. And the President of the United States was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.
We looked at our boss, Clay Johnson, and asked, "What do we say to him? How do we respond? He's dealing with so much right now."
Clay's answer was immediate and unwavering.
"You do nothing different. You keep doing exactly what the President and I hired you to do. You make your recommendations just as you always have. What happened on 9/11 will not deter us. It will not veer us away from the mission. We are here to staff this Administration, and we will continue to do that."
Those words have stayed with me for more than two decades.
When President Bush walked into the Oval Office, we stood to greet him. He sat down, and we followed. The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
Then he spoke.
"Thank you."
We looked at each other.
"Thank you for coming back to the White House. Thank you for serving me. Thank you for all that you do."
I was stunned.
Here was the leader of the free world, leading a nation through one of its darkest hours, yet he took the time to thank us.
Not for what we might do someday. Not for extraordinary heroics.
Simply for showing up.
I told him, "Mr. President, we want you to know we're praying for you. Millions of Americans are praying for you and for this country."
Without hesitation, he replied:
"Keep praying. We need the guidance of Almighty God now more than ever."
And then something remarkable happened.
He moved forward.
No drama. No self-pity. No discussion about the enormous burden he was carrying.
We went directly into the personnel briefing and back to the business of governing.
In that moment, President Bush taught me a leadership lesson I have carried throughout my career:
Great leaders steady the room.
They acknowledge reality without being paralyzed by it. They express gratitude even when facing immense pressure. They stay grounded in faith. And most importantly, they remain focused on the mission when everyone else is distracted by the crisis.
America was hurting. The world had changed forever.
But inside the Oval Office, I witnessed a leader who understood that while tragedy may alter the landscape, it cannot be allowed to stop the mission.
The attacks of September 11 shook our nation, but they did not shake our resolve. And that resolve was modeled from the very top.
That day, President Bush steadied the room.
And I've never forgotten it.
You keep moving.
That lesson followed me from the White House decades later into entrepreneurship.
As Co-Founder and CEO of AvantGarde in 2011, I have led through tremendous opportunity, but I have also led through significant adversity. Economic downturns. Government shutdowns. Workforce disruptions. Contract losses. Federal budget reductions. Moments when millions of dollars in revenue were at risk and there was no clear roadmap telling me what came next.
I know what it feels like when something you spent years building suddenly feels uncertain.
And in those moments, I have gone back to what I witnessed in public service.
The leaders I respected most were not paralyzed because they could not see the entire road ahead. They assessed the facts. They trusted their teams. They stood firm in their values. They made the decision in front of them and kept moving.
That is why I believe leadership is not tested during times of comfort.
Leadership is revealed during times of adversity.
Courage is not the absence of fear. Courage is moving forward despite it. Uncertainty may be inevitable, but inaction is a choice.
Remember Who We Became
But if we talk only about leadership when we remember September 11, we miss the most important part of the story.
The people.
Nearly 3,000 lives were taken that day. Families were changed forever. First responders ran toward danger while others were trying desperately to escape it. Military personnel, law enforcement officers, emergency responders, public servants and ordinary Americans answered a call to serve.
What I remember afterward is how America came together.
Flags appeared everywhere. Communities rallied. Neighbors checked on neighbors. Strangers helped strangers. People looked for ways to serve. For a moment, we stopped focusing on everything that divided us and remembered everything that connected us.
President Bush described it that night as America responding to the worst of human nature with “the best of America.” (George W. Bush White House Archives)
I witnessed that best.
And 25 years later, I believe we desperately need to remember it.
Freedom Is Not Guaranteed
There is an entire generation of Americans today who were not alive on September 11, 2001. I want them to understand that 9/11 is not simply something they read about in a history book. It fundamentally changed our nation and shaped an entire generation.
But beyond the headlines, dates and images, I want them to understand the humanity of that day.
Sacrifice. Courage. Service. Faith. Resilience.
And freedom.
I learned firsthand that freedom is not guaranteed. The freedoms and opportunities we enjoy as Americans exist because generations before us were willing to protect them, serve something greater than themselves and accept the responsibility that comes with liberty.
Freedom carries both privilege and responsibility.
We honor those who sacrificed not only by remembering what happened, but by protecting the principles of liberty, opportunity, resilience and unity that represent America at its best.
We do that by serving others. By participating in our communities. By teaching the next generation the value of personal responsibility. By respecting our Constitution. And by remembering that while we may disagree deeply about the path forward, we are still Americans.
Twenty-Five Years Later
When I look back today, I do not only remember where I was.
I remember what I learned.
I witnessed history unfold from inside the White House, but the most enduring lessons were never about government or politics.
Five key lessons stand out:
They were about people.
Courage in the face of fear.
Service before self.
Faith during uncertainty.
And resolve when the road ahead is unclear.
So, on this 25th anniversary, I want us to remember the people we lost. Remember the families whose lives changed forever. Remember the firefighters, police officers, emergency responders, military personnel, public servants and ordinary citizens who answered the call.
And remember who we became when our nation was tested.
More united. More compassionate. More willing to serve something greater than ourselves.
The world can change in an instant. I learned that 25 years ago.
But I learned something else too:
When the moment demands leadership, stand firm in your values, trust your principles, serve others first and move forward with resolve.
May we never forget those we lost. May we always honor those who served. And may we carry forward the courage, faith, service and unity that helped America rise from one of its darkest days.
We will never forget.
Leading Through Change with AvantGarde
The lessons of resolve, service and leadership I carried from the White House continue to shape how we lead at AvantGarde today. At AvantGarde, we partner with government and private-sector organizations to navigate complex challenges, strengthen their people and organizations, and move their missions forward. If your organization is navigating change, transformation or workforce challenges and needs a trusted partner to help lead the way, I invite you to learn more about AvantGarde and how our team can support your mission at www.avantgarde4usa.com
Follow AvantGarde on Social Media:
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Sources & Historical References
President George W. Bush, “Statement by the President in His Address to the Nation,” September 11, 2001. The White House Archives. Source for President Bush’s remarks that the attacks could not “dent the steel of American resolve” and his description of America responding with “the best of America.”
President George W. Bush, “Address to a Joint Session of Congress and the American People,” September 20, 2001. The White House Archives. Source for President Bush’s statement, “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.”
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