Trauma-Informed Leadership and Workplace Culture Insights

Establishing safety at work is one of the most important aspects of creating a trauma-informed workplace, but creating safety is easier said than done. When we discuss trauma-informed beliefs, practices, and values, we often explore big-picture concepts and systems. While this is an essential piece of the work, sharing specific, actionable steps can often improve our understanding better than big-picture ideas can. Here are some concrete and relatively simple ways to create s

Trauma-informed leadership is crucial if you want to accomplish trauma-informed change in your organization. Here’s some expert advice on how you can become a trauma-informed leader. 1 Acknowledge that cultural change is just as important as technical change When we talk about organizational change, our problem-solving brains are often focused on technical change. We ask, “ What processes can we put in place to prevent this issue?” when we should be asking, “What cultural

Download this newsletter as a printable PDF: Monthly Reflections As the end of summer approached, many of us prepared for the incoming...

When we discuss implementing trauma-informed change, the conversation largely surrounds how we live trauma-informed values. How does our behavior reflect our values? What about our lifestyle choices, how we engage in relationships, or our attitude toward life’s challenges? When we reflect, we recognize that there are many ways we live trauma-informed values, but there are also many areas where we can improve. So, once we’ve identified the areas we’d like to change, the questi

Throughout our last several blogs, we’ve explored the broader themes of how to accomplish trauma-informed cultural change. We’ve also discussed how embodying trauma-informed values is essential to accomplishing that change. But what does embodying trauma-informed values look like in real-time? How are we practicing the values in our personal and professional lives? How do the concepts we discuss become embedded and embodied in our work? Today, we’ll give you concrete examples

If you take a look at history, it’s obvious that cultural change happens slowly. Many of the changes we experience hardly feel like changes at all. They happen gradually over the course of a lifetime, and they elude our attention. But when we shift our perspectives and take an intentional, measurable, and trauma-informed approach to cultural change, we discover that it is not only larger and faster than we initially believed—it is also more impactful, more achievable, and mor

A trauma-informed framework for shifting toxic workplace culture. What leaders must change in norms, communication, and accountability to build trust and safety.

Creating lasting change is no small task. Still, it’s frustrating when most organizations fail to create the sort of lasting change that is the hallmark of effective social justice and DEI work—and the reason why is complex. If we were to boil it down to the simplest answer possible, it would be that organizations hyper-fixate on the technical while leaving the cultural unaddressed. What does that mean, exactly? Let’s use a relevant example to unravel this phenomenon. One of

A safe and healthy workplace is the goal—but there is a concerning number of toxic workplaces out there. Is yours one of them? There’s a common dynamic where executive teams turn a blind eye to problems while those without power can see the glaring issues of a toxic workplace unfolding before their eyes. Today, we discuss nine common signs of a toxic workplace—and how to solve each issue with a trauma-informed approach. 1 High Turnover Rates Usually, when an employee leaves a

Full implementation of a trauma-informed approach typically takes three years to accomplish, but many organizations are looking for more manageable solutions that require fewer resources. If you want to implement trauma-informed practices but aren’t ready for full implementation, here are some of the most important aspects of trauma sensitivity training that you can share with your team. Developing a One-Page Resource for Trauma Sensitivity Training Recently a colleague asked

An organizational safety plan is a simple, shared playbook for preventing escalation, responding consistently, and supporting staff and clients during high-stress moments. Safety plans serve as a great resource for individuals to practice healthy coping skills and develop a sense of safety and security that can carry them through a crisis. Last week, we discussed the basics of creating your first personalized safety plan . Now, it’s time to discuss how an organizational safet

In most circles, safety plans are discussed as a tool for suicide prevention. While they are certainly a great resource for people who may experience a crisis such as suicidal ideation, safety plans are a self-care tool that proves useful in less extreme situations as well. Whether you’re someone who would benefit from a personal safety plan or you’re interested in implementing an organizational safety plan for your workplace, this introduction to safety plans is a great plac

Last week I spent 3 days with a room full of exhausted yet engaged teachers, who were eager to learn about trauma and not only how it applied to their students, but how it was showing up for them. In the process of the training, we spent considerable time talking about Maslow's Hierarchy. Later that night, I was invited to the school board meeting, to share our progress and the important work being done in the district. Unprompted, their board president started talking about

Despite the importance of vulnerability at work to promote a trauma-informed environment, the stigma surrounding emotional vulnerability...

Although trauma-informed leadership is gaining traction in the education and healthcare sectors, it is not a topic reserved for these industries. In fact, private, public and government should all be considering moving a trauma-informed framework not just for their customers, or clients but for their staff. Additionally, trauma-informed leadership is meaningful and beneficial in nearly every sector, including law. Melissa Lucio’s Wrongful Conviction In her recent article , Mi

There’s a common belief that some workplaces are trauma-free. While it’s true that some vocations—such as healthcare workers and first...

Most people will say that work stresses them out—but it’s possible that your job as a leader is causing chronic traumatic stress. If you suffer from leadership trauma, these five trauma-informed strategies can help you move forward and cope with your stress. 1. Recognize harmful symptoms through mindfulness. First, you need to know if you have leadership trauma. You might think that everything is okay or that you’re experiencing a “normal” amount of stress. But you may be

We often think of trauma as something that’s happened to us in the past, but trauma can also impact how we think of the present and the future—and it can also be happening right now. As a leader (even a trauma-informed leader), you may be struggling due to trauma at work due to chronic stress. Check out this article by Arzhang Kamarei . In it, he explores Leadership Trauma, a new branch of chronic trauma that affects leaders. What makes leadership trauma unique? Leadership t

Trigger Warning: Please note that this blog contains a discussion of suicide, self-injurious behavior, depression and/or references of...

In the past several weeks, we’ve explored what resilience is and how we can create resilience in our lives and organizations through positive, stable adult relationships and a greater connection to faith and cultural traditions. Today, we’re going to dive even deeper and explore how to build resilience through mastery of a life skill. How mastery of a life skill helps us cultivate resilience Whether your life skill is communication, carpentry, or commercial waste management,