Leading with Happiness After Trauma
Leading with Resilience and Joy: Understanding the Impact of Trauma on CEOs
We experience moments of joy when we see the blue skies and feel the warm breeze coming at us across the open top of the car.? There is no stress in strolling down to the dock to dive off into lake water.? And sinking a golf ball on the putting green is a quick win.
But happy?? Joy that comes unbidden?? How many times a day do we feel that?? Do we even remember what that felt like?
I don’t mean you don’t try, and you certainly build in activities that should bring the feeling of happiness.
But If you are like me, you anticipated that as an adult, certainly like a leader with a satisfying title under our name and peers who respect us, we would effortlessly embody qualities such as strength, kindness, responsibility, and stability, rather than having to consciously project them -- and happiness would automatically follow.
Instead of feeling confident, relaxed and happy, we are at a loss to discover that instead, we often feel overwhelmed, judgmental, and fearful with no idea how to shift it.
And what of joy?? More and more it feels like something we have to fake, other people have it and we don’t or it doesn’t really exist at all.
So we get used to functioning the best way we can.
We admire other leaders, especially those in the spotlight for their strength, stability, and unwavering decision-making skills.?
We carry on bravely with our shoulders back and chin out wondering if we really are the only ones who carry hidden burdens that impact their ability to lead effectively.
It isn’t just you.
It isn’t just me.?
Research shows that trauma, particularly experienced in early life, can have profound effects on CEOs at a personal and professional level. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), such as abuse or neglect, can shape their emotional well-being and decision-making abilities well into adulthood.
The experience of trauma is unique to each of us but the impact is universal.?
Research suggests that CEOs who have experienced trauma may exhibit a reluctance to take strategic risks, impacting their ability to drive innovation and growth. The National Center for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Iraq War Clinician Guide, 2d Ed.in 2004 reported that in studying military leaders, it was found that one of the indicators of having experienced a traumatic event leading to PTSD, was self-accusation, anger and feelings of grief that were difficult to shake off.?
The long-term effects of post-traumatic stress influences our decision-making processes, ability to collaborate on a team and leaves us risk-averse.
It isn’t your imagination, there really is a reason you don’t perform as well as you think you should.?And you don't feel as happy as you thought you should by now.
It is well established that trauma profoundly affects a leader's values, convictions, and leadership style.? A 2019 research project established that it is both our own trauma as well as that of our parents that impacts our emotional responses in leadership or team environments (Tcholakian, Khapova, van de Loo and Lehman).? In Ethical leadership: a review and future directions, Brown and Trevi?o present their findings on the strongly correlated relationship between historical trauma and one’s ability to manage a team, communicating values and ethics and asking for accountability
Your ability to lead as well as your own feelings of satisfaction are profoundly impacted by historical trauma experiences.
While we would never want to underestimate the human ability to thrive after adverse situations and, in fact, we use the hero stories as personal hope stories that we could triumph too, we also want to be aware that even excellent performance under pressure, does not necessarily leave one who has unhealed trauma feeling satisfied, confident, or anything close to joyful.?
Knowing you are not alone, may help you empathize with the face you see in the mirror every morning when you’re brushing our teeth.
Healing from trauma is crucial.? It is crucial for you as an individual to experience deep pleasure and it is important as a CEOs to maximize your leadership potential.
Your untreated trauma can hinder the development of relationships with those you are leading, trust-building, and awareness of the needs of others.
By addressing and healing from past experiences, you unlock your ability to lead to your full potential and with authenticity and empathy.
A trauma-informed or trauma-healed leader significantly impacts their organization.?
The ability of a strong leader to show compassion, engage their team members and communicate vision effectively creates an environment where individuals feel seen, heard, and supported.? This leads to improved employee retention rates and overall organizational success.
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Experiencing trauma was not something you could control. But healing from it is. There is hope. You can recover and feel happy.
The tips are just below but first - If you resonate at all with this topic or know someone in a leadership role who might, I encourage you to explore the possibilities of trauma healing. Professional support from compassionate experts trained in trauma-informed practices can provide invaluable guidance on the journey to recovery.? As a first exploratory step, I recommend you check out Dr. Andrew Huberman’s podcast or youtube channel, Huberman Lab as a compassionate and science-grounded source of information and support. The link is at the bottom of this article.
In the meantime, here are some deceptively simple but effective tips that have helped me and many of the leaders I work with.? You can pass them on to those on your team who are carrying too much stress.?
Active or historical trauma will make these next two more difficult or even impossible, but they are worth fighting for and that fight will help you heal.
4.? Get quality sleep.
5.? Find peace within your closest relationships.
Remember, leading with resilience means acknowledging the impact of trauma and creating a space for healing. Not only for your team, but for you.
Healing will bring you towards feeling the happiness and satisfaction you crave.? Healing will help you find joy more often.
Cheering you on and if reading this has brought up any questions for you, or you’d like to have a conversation with someone who will understand, send me a quick note and say, “Chris, I get what you were saying about _______,? Can we chat?? I work every day with the neuroscience strategies that will help you begin shifting your leadership and the environment in your office quickly, effectively and for the long term.
Cheers to you finding more happy.!
~Chris.
The Leadership Maverick
Resources
Coaching Professionals to Boost their bodies ENERGY Potential unlocking Peak Performance | Vitality Public Speaker |
1 年Thank you for sharing your thoughts in this article Chris; for those experiencing any of what you described, I hope they find value and walked away with a gem they can now use to bring some light at the end of their tunnel ????