One Cell Tower Survived 9/11. Here’s What His Team Did Next.
Lead the Team Podcast
696 views
AI and rapid disruption are changing leadership faster than most executives realize. But what happens when the power grids go completely dark and an entire city's network fails?
In this episode of Lead the Team, Ben Fanning sits down with Crown Castle President and CEO Chris Hillabrant to break down the high-stakes crisis frameworks, operational turnarounds, and talent succession models that separate elite executives from everyone else.
From managing T-Mobile's critical network infrastructure in Manhattan during the chaos of September 11th, to turning around a massive 14,000-site modernization project at Ericsson, Chris reveals exactly what it means to lead through the fire.
This conversation covers:
• The 9/11 Cell Tower Story: How a single surviving tower saved lower Manhattan's emergency line connectivity.
• The Complacency Edge: Why multi-million dollar tech companies must rely on physical, low-tech 3-ring binder playbooks.
• The Nick Saban Effect: The bittersweet leadership rule of deliberately pushing your best talent out of the nest.
• Stuck in the Middle: Practical executive advice for when you inherit a failing project with zero resources.
Whether you’re a CEO, executive, founder, or ambitious professional navigating leadership in an era of constant uncertainty, this episode will challenge the way you view organizational trust, crisis management, and team psychology.
Chapters;
00:00 – The infrastructure mistake most executives make
01:08 – Chaos in Manhattan: Managing the 9/11 network failure
04:42 – Why we opened our remaining asset to our competitors
08:42 – Building trust and resilience during organizational pressure
11:19 – The Waffle House rule: Why low-tech playbooks beat AI in a crisis
13:38 – The hidden problem with high performers leaving your team
16:25 – The Nick Saban strategy: How to build a bulletproof C-suite bench
20:08 – The top 3 traits that make an employee highly promotable
21:36 – Humbling moments: Getting fired as a 3rd-grade paperboy
26:34 – Executive decision-making under uncertainty: Turning around Ericsson
31:22 – Survival guide for leaders stuck in the middle of organizational chaos
34:43 – What the future of resilient leadership actually looks like
Ben Fanning interviews top executives, CEOs, founders, and business leaders to uncover the real-world leadership lessons shaping modern organizations.
Topics include critical infrastructure, crisis leadership, executive psychology, high-performance teams, operational turnarounds, corporate succession planning, and organizational transformation.
Subscribe for weekly conversations on high-pressure leadership, executive performance, corporate strategy, and building resilient organizations.
📬 Get vital insights delivered directly to your inbox: http://benfanning.com/insight
📈 Want to build your enterprise brand with a premium podcast framework?
Schedule a 20-minute call: http://BenLeads.com/schedule
#leadership #CrisisLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #CrownCastle #BusinessPodcast #Telecommunications #SuccessionPlanning
One Cell Tower Survived 9/11. Here’s What His Team Did Next.
Lead the Team Podcast
696 views
AI and rapid disruption are changing leadership faster than most executives realize. But what happens when the power grids go completely dark and an entire city's network fails?
In this episode of Lead the Team, Ben Fanning sits down with Crown Castle President and CEO Chris Hillabrant to break down the high-stakes crisis frameworks, operational turnarounds, and talent succession models that separate elite executives from everyone else.
From managing T-Mobile's critical network infrastructure in Manhattan during the chaos of September 11th, to turning around a massive 14,000-site modernization project at Ericsson, Chris reveals exactly what it means to lead through the fire.
This conversation covers:
• The 9/11 Cell Tower Story: How a single surviving tower saved lower Manhattan's emergency line connectivity.
• The Complacency Edge: Why multi-million dollar tech companies must rely on physical, low-tech 3-ring binder playbooks.
• The Nick Saban Effect: The bittersweet leadership rule of deliberately pushing your best talent out of the nest.
• Stuck in the Middle: Practical executive advice for when you inherit a failing project with zero resources.
Whether you’re a CEO, executive, founder, or ambitious professional navigating leadership in an era of constant uncertainty, this episode will challenge the way you view organizational trust, crisis management, and team psychology.
Chapters;
00:00 – The infrastructure mistake most executives make
01:08 – Chaos in Manhattan: Managing the 9/11 network failure
04:42 – Why we opened our remaining asset to our competitors
08:42 – Building trust and resilience during organizational pressure
11:19 – The Waffle House rule: Why low-tech playbooks beat AI in a crisis
13:38 – The hidden problem with high performers leaving your team
16:25 – The Nick Saban strategy: How to build a bulletproof C-suite bench
20:08 – The top 3 traits that make an employee highly promotable
21:36 – Humbling moments: Getting fired as a 3rd-grade paperboy
26:34 – Executive decision-making under uncertainty: Turning around Ericsson
31:22 – Survival guide for leaders stuck in the middle of organizational chaos
34:43 – What the future of resilient leadership actually looks like
Ben Fanning interviews top executives, CEOs, founders, and business leaders to uncover the real-world leadership lessons shaping modern organizations.
Topics include critical infrastructure, crisis leadership, executive psychology, high-performance teams, operational turnarounds, corporate succession planning, and organizational transformation.
Subscribe for weekly conversations on high-pressure leadership, executive performance, corporate strategy, and building resilient organizations.
📬 Get vital insights delivered directly to your inbox: http://benfanning.com/insight
📈 Want to build your enterprise brand with a premium podcast framework?
Schedule a 20-minute call: http://BenLeads.com/schedule
#leadership #CrisisLeadership #ExecutiveLeadership #CrownCastle #BusinessPodcast #Telecommunications #SuccessionPlanning