It’s nearly unfathomable that today marks ten years since September 11th, 2001. It was a day that changed my life forever. It was a day that we will never forget, and a day that so many never lived beyond. Though I and my loved ones were all safe, I lost what we all lost that day — many friends we had not yet met and heroes we had not yet known.

My eyes still fill with tears when I see the footage, or think about the costly price that has been paid in blood and tears on that day, and every day since then until now. My wife and I had been at the twin towers not long before they fell, and we were at ground zero soon after they were gone. Yet, as we stood in a desolate field in Shanksville, PA where the heroes of Flight 93 were laid to rest in the wreckage, the blistering quiet ripped through our souls. These are moments that change you. These are moments that shape and define you.

Both leaders and critics were forged that day. I wish to share a few of the leadership lessons that resonate with me as I remember this day. It’s my goal to attain a life that exhibits such leadership.

1. A leader must be resolved to do whatever it takes to confront whatever the day may require, regardless of the cost.
2. Strong leaders embody a sense of determination to overcome all obstacles and odds.
3. True leaders inspire others with a resolve to move forward from where we are today.
4. Under pressure, a good leader remains loyal to purpose, principles, and people.
5. Secure leaders only make promises that they intend to keep.
6. True leaders do not waiver in their commitment to live up to their word.
7. Leaders must be willing to submit their own lives to severe criticism in fulfilling their purpose.