The Empathy Edge

Katharine Manning: How Trauma Impacts Performance - and What Smart Leaders Can Do

Dec 19, 2023

48:25

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Katharine Manning, an expert on trauma's impact on individuals and organizations, dives into how trauma influences workplace dynamics. She emphasizes that trauma affects everyone differently and highlights the importance of fostering a supportive environment. Katharine shares five steps for leaders to recognize and respond to trauma in colleagues, stressing that understanding and empathy can enhance team performance and engagement. Her insights underscore the need for a trauma-informed workplace culture that values trust and emotional health.

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Quick takeaways

Trauma significantly impacts workplace performance, manifesting in various ways, thus necessitating a safe and supportive environment for employees.

Leaders can employ the LASER approach to effectively support colleagues experiencing trauma, fostering empathy while maintaining organizational productivity.

Deep dives

The Challenges of Empathy in Leadership

Empathy is becoming increasingly difficult for leaders to balance with performance expectations and personal boundaries. The speaker discusses common myths about empathy that can hinder effective leadership, such as misconceptions about being weak or overly lenient. These myths can lead to pitfalls like empathy hijacking, where leaders unintentionally shift focus away from the concerns of their team. However, by embracing the five pillars of empathetic leadership, leaders can learn to balance compassion with accountability without sacrificing their wellbeing or effectiveness.

Intro

2min

Understanding Workplace Trauma and Its Impact

5min

From Law to Empathy: A Journey of Trauma Awareness

5min

Understanding Trauma and the Power of Empathy in Recovery

5min

Recognizing Trauma in the Workplace

7min

Navigating Trauma with Empathy

20min

Empathy and Emotional Health at Work

4min

How does trauma impact the workplace and organizational performance? If you're a human being, then yes, trauma impacts you and your team. Trauma doesn't care whether you're at work or not. Everyone experiences trauma differently in their brain and body. The solution is to create a safe and trusting environment for leaders to get curious about their people and for someone in distress to be able to get support. The important thing to remember is that this isn't a competition - no one's trauma is more or less "worthy" than another's.

Today, my guest Katharine Manning and I discuss what is trauma, how it affects the workplace, how we can recognize trauma in others, and 5 steps to respond to a colleague, team member - or frankly anyone - dealing with trauma. She shares great examples of how we might brush things off or inadvertently let go of a great employee when we're not cognizant of trauma, what it means to be a trauma-informed organization, and three steps to creating one. This was a robust conversation and I know whether you are a leader or a colleague will get so much out of it to boost performance and engagement - while also supporting someone in need.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

Any trauma will change us - we need to acknowledge that change, we can then embrace that new version of us.
Trauma can manifest itself in different ways in different people. It can also be triggered by situations that, for some, may not be triggering and for others it’s life-shattering.
You can make tough decisions and be a strong leader with empathy. Those are the best leaders with the most successful companies.

"Trauma isn't a jacket that you can just take off when it's time to go to work. We carry it with us and it affects how we show up…I want to get people away from trying to decide whether what you have gone through counts as trauma. Just focus on the person in front of you and what they need." — Katharine Manning

About Katharine Manning, President, Blackbird DC and author, The Empathetic Workplace

Katharine Manning is the President of Blackbird DC, which provides training and consultation on empathy at work. She is the author of The Empathetic Workplace: Five Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job, and teaches at American University and in the Master’s in Trauma-Informed Leadership Program at Dominican University. She has worked on issues of trauma and victimization for more than 25 years.

References Mentioned

The Empathy Edge podcast, Sarah R. Browne, It's Possible to Parent AND Lead without Punishment- the Brain Science Behind It

LinkedIn Article by Maria Ross: What Does Psychological Abuse at Work Look Like?

Connect with Katharine Manning

Blackbird DC: http://www.blackbird-dc.com

Book: The Empathetic Workplace: 5 Steps to a Compassionate, Calm, and Confident Response to Trauma on the Job

X: https://twitter.com/kl_manning

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katharine-manning/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EmpatheticWorkplace

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/empatheticworkplace/

Join to get weekly texts on empathy, leadership, and resilience: Text "blackbird" to 833-975-1945

Join the tribe, download your free guide! Discover what empathy can do for you: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy