Greetings Dear Readers,
The shooting at the Empire State Building today by a laid-off worker reminds me of work I’ve done in organizations after episodes of violence and loss. I’ve worked with executive teams who’ve lost members and companies who have been traumatized by terrorism, and it can be so difficult to know what to do as a leader with such powerful and potent emotion.
How do we bounce-back from horror, fear, or grief at work? How do we lead people who have been traumatized, particularly when we are as well?
Step One – Honor Grief and Loss
Everyone grieves differently, and they need time and space to do so. As a leader, you may wish to say a few words to your team or workgroup about what community means in times of sadness, and that it’s time for us to come together and have a moment of quiet, offer each other support, and talk about what’s happened if you want to.
Step Two – Ensure an Ongoing Support Mechanism
Engage your EAP program, get a grief counselor or other resource in to assist anyone who needs help.
Step Three – Don’t pretend it didn’t happen and go about “business as usual”. Make sure that in the following weeks ahead that you check in with your people, ask how they are, and continue to focus on community building so that employees do not get disconnected or alienated from the team.
Step Four – Learn about and leverage resilience practices. When a team experiences something difficult together, they have an opportunity to build tighter, more purposeful relationships. They have an opportunity to offer their own help to others. They have an opportunity to think about what they are grateful for, and bring that gratitude into daily awareness.
Please pass it on.
-Karlin Sloan
Comments