Welcome to How Leaders Lead, where every week you get to listen in while I interview some of the very best leaders in the world.

I break down the key learning so that by the end of the episode, you'll have something simple you can apply as you develop into a better leader.

That's what this podcast is all about. Today's episode is with one of my very

best friends, Jimmy Dunn. He's the vice chairman and senior managing principal at Piper Sandler.

He was one of the founders of Sandler O'Neill and Partners, which was acquired by Piper Jaffrey in 2020.

And he's renowned for how he led his firm in the wake of the 9-11 attacks on the

World Trade Center. Sixty-six of his associates died that day, including the firm's founder,

Herman Sandler, and Jimmy's best friend, Chris Quackenbush. Now, you're going to learn that Jimmy is

really gifted with the ability to think about something

from someone else's perspective and then anticipate what they need. And that's at the heart of what

makes him such an inspiring leader. Jimmy made the incredible decision early on in the wake of

the attacks that the firm needed to provide for the families of fallen associates,

including a college education for every child who lost a parent. I can remember like it was yesterday.

I was sitting on a runway getting ready to take off for investor meeting in San Francisco,

and those towers went down. Man, was that devastating. Can you imagine having it

happening to your entire firm? Well, Jimmy's ability to anticipate the needs of others not only

helped him lead through this crisis, but it also helped him prepare for that awful day

before it even arrived. And it's a wonderful

reminder for all of us to look out for the people we serve by thinking about what they need

even before they do. It's such a privilege to talk to Jimmy today, and I know you're going to be

so inspired by his incredible empathy and passion to do the

right thing for his people. So here's my conversation with my good friend and soon to be yours,

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