What trauma-informed leaders know: practice makes permanent, not perfect
a blog post by Kimberly Van Ryn
I know, I know… there’s a lot to unpack here because you’ve been told your whole life if you just need to practice more, try harder, do it again – you’ll “get it”. This is true, and untrue – and it’s not going to be a surprise to you that if we look at practice through a trauma-informed leadership lens, we need to consider the nervous system and what has happened to us in the past.
One of the key principles in trauma-informed leadership is curiosity. Instead of judgement, shame, or blame, as trauma-informed leaders we are approaching chronic problems and toxic workplace relationships with honesty, transparency, and respectful questions. In trauma-informed leadership we never approach a person with the question, “What is WRONG with you?”. Instead we start with the question, “What’s happened to you and how is it impacting you and I now?”
Take a moment to feel the distinct energy in these questions and let it change your mindset today and forever:
