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Summary
The fatigue and trauma from events of the past few years has affected many of us – not just personally, but also professionally, and at the organizational level as well. For the most part, the corporate world has recognized the impact these past years have had on employees and teams. However, many organizations have only recently become aware of the longer-term effects and are struggling to support their people as they work through the long tail of trauma.
Key Insights
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Trauma is highly individual and shaped by personal perception, not just by objectively traumatic events.
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Burnout and trauma are related but distinct, with overlapping symptoms requiring different approaches.
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Leaders must acknowledge and validate team members’ experiences to build trust and psychological safety.
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Secondary or vicarious trauma occurs when individuals are affected indirectly by events they haven’t personally experienced.
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Self-awareness and self-regulation among leaders are critical, with journaling as an effective practice to identify stress triggers.
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Leadership should inherently be trauma-informed, integrating ethical, compassionate communication and care.
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Empowering employees with control over their work directly helps reduce burnout.
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Systemic issues in the work environment must be addressed rather than only treating individual symptoms, like mandatory PTO.
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Human-centered design and leadership require authentic, simple human connection, not just complex frameworks or methods.
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Recognizing that leaders are also affected by trauma creates space for more empathetic and effective leadership.
Notable Quotes
"Trauma is a psychological experience shaped by individual perception, not just a traumatic event itself."
"Burnout is a real occupational phenomenon recognized by the World Health Organization but distinct from trauma."
"Acknowledgment and validation of someone’s experience alone is trauma-informed and trauma-responsive leadership."
"Secondary trauma can feel neurobiologically the same as if the traumatic event had actually happened to you."
"Leaders are also hurt leaders; their self-awareness and healing are essential to create safe spaces."
"Start journaling to identify environmental triggers and stressors that affect your emotional responses."
"Forcing someone to take vacation in a toxic environment is like putting a fish from a dirty bowl into a clean one temporarily."
"Design should inherently be ethical and trauma-responsive; trauma-informed should be our default."
"Giving employees control over how and when they do their work is crucial in preventing burnout."
"We need to handle our own stuff first to give others permission to show up as human at work."
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