Disrupting the Leadership Role in Response to Trauma and PTG

2022 Earth Day Theme -  Invest in Our Planet...."Change it all - the business climate, the political climate, and how we take action on climate. Now is the time for unstoppable courage to preserve and protect our health, our families, and our livelihoods."

BIG SCOPE with big expectations that seem to be unsurmountable.

We need “courage and innovation” in making big and sometimes unconventional changes in the best interests of our environment, our diverse cultures, and the inhabitants now and in the future. We all have a stake and therefore have the responsibility to do what we can to utilize our resources through self-leadership and leading others. If we are not in the position to lead, we must use our wisdom, experience, and influence for positive impact.

Being Generous With Our Wisdom and Experience

How are you showing up to lead or to influence for positive impact? Are you being generous with your wisdom and experience? In particular, are you sharing what you are learning in this series of blogs about post traumatic growth (PTG) – at home, at work, and in our community? You have learned that trauma can happen to anyone and unfortunately, trauma has touched everyone in different ways during the pandemic. Hence....

• How are you showing up as a leader for yourself and others through trauma?
• How are you sharing wisdom and using your influence?
• How do you see other leaders helping their teams and colleagues overcome trauma?
• How are you influencing post traumatic growth (PTG) in the workplace?

Effective leaders understand and acknowledge the impact of trauma for individuals, groups/teams, and the organization.

Disrupting the Leadership Role in Response to Trauma

Unfortunately, there are people in leadership roles (including management and supervisory roles) who believe that they are “doing their job” by referring individuals to the HR department. They trivialize or ignore the impact of trauma and avoid involvement (“not my job”). They expect and instruct individuals and groups/teams to “get over it.”

These people might be in an organization that lacks strong role models for appreciating the importance of creating a healthy integrity-based workplace culture. They consistently received conflicting direction from their own leaders. And, they have no training in emotional intelligence leadership.

Formal Training and Support of New Leaders in the Pandemic

During the pandemic, many inexperienced employees have found themselves ill equipped to meet the demands of their new “leadership” roles. With no training and no clear direction, they found themselves in crisis without empathy and support from their own leaders. Hence, the transfer of a myopic attitude from the top and the focus on getting the job without empathy for the suffering of those they manage or supervise. Ironically, leaders at all levels continue to ignore the impact deteriorating client service and trust in their organization's reputation. The practice of arbitrarily placing a people in supervisory roles without adequate training and support must stop. Formal training, mentorship, and a support system is critical to developing capacity and capability to lead others.

The New Emotional Intelligent Leader

Leaders who invest in their emotional intelligence (on their own if not supported by their employer) are better able to empathize with individual and group suffering. Instead of ignoring a traumatic event, they engage in conversations, and provide direction and support to their managers and supervisors in understanding the impact of trauma and leading appropriately. They provide a psychologically safe space with effective facilitation where everyone feels accepted and respected. Psychological safety plays an important role in workplace effectiveness by providing opportunities for people (including leaders) to share their stories, restore their well-being, and re-affirm their sense of purpose.

Continue to follow this blog series to learn more about the emerging new emotional intelligent leadership role and best practices for post-traumatic growth.

What do you think? How are we going to “change it all”? What has been your experience with PTG at work or in your personal life? Do you have new leaders who need training and support during the pandemic?

Is this a conversation you would like to continue?

Would you like to explore the connections I make with this topic and emotional intelligence? You can reach me on LinkedIn. Or click to Get in Touch. 

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Resources:

Managing Loss and Grief: Maestro's Encore Series

The Handbook of Posttraumatic Growth Lawrence G. Calhoun and Richard G. Tedeschi in (Routledge, 2014