Leaders bear the burden of business highs and lows.

In our May 2005 issue, U.S. Business Review had the opportunity to speak to Bob Murray, chairman and CEO of Murray Energy. As is typical of many of the executives we interview, Murray was excited to share the story of his company’s success and how he felt it got there. “What greater satisfaction can a 65-year-old man get in his life than seeing people whose lives you’ve touched have a very high standard of living and are able to work with honor and dignity?” he asked.

It was in stark contrast to the interviews he would be giving just two years later, when a collapse in a Utah mine co-owned and operated by Murray Energy left six miners buried alive. In the days that followed the collapse, Murray swore repeatedly that he would not rest until the trapped miners were rescued. Critics said the collapse was caused by the company’s use of a process called reverse mining, where columns of coal supporting a mine are excavated after the coal around them is taken out.

More than a month after the collapse, six miners are presumed dead, and three rescue workers died attempting to reach them. Whether or not Murray Energy’s practices had anything to do with the tragedy, the focus of the nation’s eye on Bob Murray carries with it an important reminder for executives: The buck stops there.

When something catastrophic like this happens, people immediately begin looking for answers. Theories abounded, ranging from Murray’s initial claim of an earthquake to reverse mining to “bumps” caused by pressure from the mountain above the mine.

Even though Murray originally said it was an act of God, and even though a Senate subcommittee criticized the Mine Safety and Health Administration’s oversight of the mine earlier this month, most of the country turned to one person for answers: Bob Murray. As the operator and co-owner of the mine, the collapse became Murray Energy’s problem to solve, one that took an emotional toll on Murray. “I came apart,” he told the AP after the deaths of the rescue workers.

On top of the workers’ deaths came round after round of criticism from union representatives, politicians and media. The company’s past safety infractions were scrutinized, Murray’s past lobbying for the easing of federal and state restrictions was discussed and his every move watched.

Leaders can sometimes become so wrapped up in the day-to-day, that they can believe they exist in their own private universe. But when a crisis emerges, they need to recognize that there can be a lot more at stake than the loss of some revenue. Leaders bear the heavy burden of responsibility, and although most people concentrate on the highs, the lows can be what truly defines them. “When you found a company and you hire people, these people depend on you,” Murray told us in 2005. “They become your responsibility. It’s a not responsibility that you can shed.”

Few leaders can understand the gravity of Murray’s words more than he can, now.