Things Leaders Do

Leading Through National Tragedy – When Silence Isn't an Option

• Colby Morris

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When national tragedy strikes, leaders don’t have the luxury of silence.

In this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby Morris reflects on the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University and what it reveals about the role of leaders during moments of crisis.

This conversation isn’t about politics. It’s about leadership. It’s about how you show up when your team is already processing fear, anger, confusion—and yes, sometimes celebration.

In this episode, we cover:

  • Why silence in the face of political violence isn’t neutrality—it’s complicity
  • The difference between political posturing and human leadership
  • Practical steps for addressing tragedy with your team while staying rooted in your organization’s values
  • The hard truth about protecting culture when toxic responses to violence show up inside your workplace
  • How leaders can create psychological safety and protect trust in the aftermath of tragedy

Leadership gets tested in moments like these. The way you respond shapes not only your culture today but the trust your people will have in you tomorrow.

If you’re struggling with how to navigate these conversations, Colby is available for executive coaching, organizational consulting, and leadership training at nxtstepadvisors.com
. You can also connect with him directly on LinkedIn


Speaker 1:

People First. Leadership, actionable strategies, real results this is Things Leaders Do with Colby Morris.

Speaker 2:

Two days ago, or, as you were hearing this, probably about a week ago, charlie Kirk was assassinated while speaking at Utah Valley University. A single shot from a rooftop, a young conservative voice silenced by political violence. I'm going to be honest with you. This one hit me hard, not just because I knew Charlie's word, but because of what this represents for our country. I fear we've crossed a line that we can't. I fear we've crossed a line that we can't uncross. Political assassination isn't something that happens in healthy democracies, and as I processed this tragedy, I kept thinking about something.

Speaker 2:

Right now, in boardrooms and break rooms across America, your people are talking about this, they're processing it, they're scared, they're angry, they're confused. Some are celebrating, and that should terrify you. The question isn't whether your team is discussing national tragedies. The question is whether you're leading them through it. Hey leaders, this is Colby, and today we're talking about one of the hardest parts of leadership how to respond when the world feels like it's falling apart, when tragedy strikes, when the very fabric of civil discourse is being torn apart by violence. Because here's what nobody tells you about people-first leadership. Sometimes leading people means walking directly into the uncomfortable, the political, the controversial, because your people are already there and they need you to show up. Let me just be clear about something there is no neutral ground when it comes to political violence in America. When someone is murdered for their beliefs whether they're conservative, liberal or anything in between silence isn't neutrality, it's complicity. Your team is watching. They're watching to see if you have the courage to call evil what it is. They're watching to see if you'll stand up for basic human decency. They're watching to see if your people-first leadership philosophy actually means something when it gets tested. And make no mistake, this is a test. When Charlie Kirk was gunned down for speaking his mind, every leader in America got presented with the choice Address it or ignore it. Leave from the front or hide behind corporate policies about staying out of politics. But here's what those stay-out-of-politics leaders don't understand. Your people are already in it. They're already processing this tragedy through their own political lens, their own fears, their own biases. The conversation is happening, whether you join it or not. Recent research from Edelman shows that 67% of employees expect their leadership to speak out on societal issues, especially when they impact workplace culture and safety. Your silence doesn't protect you. It isolates you when you don't address national tragedies that are dominating the cultural conversation. You create a vacuum and that vacuum it gets filled by whoever has the strongest opinion and the loudest voice, whether that person has your organization's best interests at heart or not.

Speaker 2:

Now I'm not telling you to turn your Monday team meeting into a political rally. There's a crucial difference between taking a political stance and showing human leadership. A political stance is this is why Charlie Kirk's politics were right or wrong. Human leadership says this is why violence against people for their beliefs is always wrong. A political stance says here's who we should vote for, but human leadership says here's how we're going to ensure everyone on this team feels safe to express their views. A political stance says this party is better than that party. Human leadership says says this kind of violence tears apart the very foundation of civil society. See the difference. One divides your team along partisan lines. The other unites your team around shared human values, values like the right to speak without fear of being killed.

Speaker 2:

When I talk about addressing Charlie Kirk's assassination, I'm not asking you to endorse his political views. I'm asking you to condemn the use of violence to silence opposing viewpoints. That's not political, that's moral. And if you can't stand up and say that, murdering people for their beliefs is wrong, then you have no business leading other human beings. So how does this actually look like in practice? How do you address something like Charlie Kirk's assassination without turning your workplace into a political background? Well, first you need to acknowledge the elephant in the room and do it quickly and directly. Don't wait for someone else to bring it up. Don't hope it goes away. Address it in your next team meeting.

Speaker 2:

Look, I know everyone's been processing the tragedy in Utah. I want to take a few minutes to talk about it as a team and then, second, frame it around your organizational values, not political positions. Look, one of our core values is respect for all people. What happened to Charlie Kirk violates that value in the most extreme way possible. We believe people should be able to express their views without fear of violence. Third, I want you to create space for people to process, but set clear boundaries. But set clear boundaries. I know people have different political views and that's okay. But what's not okay is celebrating violence against people we disagree with. What's not okay is using this tragedy to attack each other. And then, fourth, be authentic about the impact. Don't try to be the stoic emotionalist leader. Okay, if this tragedy affects you. Say so, hey guys. This hit me hard because it represents something dangerous happening in our country. It makes me concerned about the kind of society we're creating for our kids. And then, fifth, connect it to your workplace culture. This is exactly why we work so hard to create an environment where people can disagree respectfully. This is why we don't tolerate personal attacks or attempts to silence opposing viewpoints.

Speaker 2:

All right, now here is where I need to get really direct with you. You may or may not like this part, and I understand, but hear me, if you have people in your organization who are celebrating this death, if you have employees who think murder is an acceptable response to a political disagreement, you have a cancer that will destroy your culture. I don't care what their politics are, I don't care if they're the best performer in your team, I don't care if they've been with the company for 20 years. If someone on your team is celebrating the assassination of another human being because they didn't like their political views, that person needs to go, not for their political beliefs you can have conservatives and liberals and everything in between on your team but for their character, for their complete lack of basic human decency, for their willingness to dehumanize people they disagree with to the point where they celebrate their murder. This isn't about left versus right. This is about right versus wrong, and if you can't see the difference, you have no business building a people-first culture.

Speaker 2:

I've seen what happens when leaders tolerate this kind of toxic thinking. It spreads and metastasizes. It turns your workplace into a place where people are afraid to express their views, afraid to disagree, afraid to be authentic about who they are. Your job as a leader isn't to make everyone agree. Your job is to make everyone safe to disagree. And if you can't do that, when you've got people on your team who think violence is an acceptable form of political discourse, you see where I'm going.

Speaker 2:

The hardest part about tragedies like Charlie Kirk's assassination isn't the initial response. It's leading through the aftermath, because this kind of violence doesn't just impact the immediate victims, it impacts the entire culture. Right now there are conservative voices in your organization who are scared. They're wondering if it's safe to express their views. They're questioning whether speaking up about their beliefs might make them a target, while they would never commit violence themselves, might be privately thinking that Charlie deserved it, or some messed up view like that, because his views may have been, in their eyes, controversial. These people are dangerous to your culture in a different way. They're normalizing violence through justification.

Speaker 2:

Your job is to address both groups with equal clarity. To the people who are scared, you need to say we will not tolerate any form of intimidation or violence based on political beliefs. Your safety is our responsibility and we take that seriously. And then to the people who are justifying look, there is no political view so wrong that it justifies murder. There is no speech so offensive that it deserves a violent response. If you can't understand that basic principle, you don't belong here.

Speaker 2:

This is where people-first leadership gets tested. It's easy to care about people when they all agree with each other, but it's hard to care about people when they have fundamental disagreements about politics, values and worldview. But that's exactly when your leadership matters most. So here's what you need to do this week. I'm going to be specific, because this is too important for vague suggestions. First, have the conversation. Don't wait for the right time or the perfect words.

Speaker 2:

Address Charlie Kirk's assassination within your team. Acknowledge that it happened, express your genuine reaction and reinforce your organizational values around human dignity and safety. Second, I want you to audit your team's response. Pay attention to how people react when you bring this up. Watch for signs of celebration or justification or indifference to violence. It's red flags that need immediate attention. And then, third, reinforce your commitment to psychological safety. Make it clear that people can disagree politically without fear of retribution, but also make it clear that dehumanizing language and celebration of violence are unacceptable. And fourth, document everything. If you discover that someone on your team is celebrating this or expressing support for political violence, document it. This isn't about politics, this is about character, and character issues need to be addressed through your normal HR processes.

Speaker 2:

And then, fifth I hate this. I hate this. Prepare for the next one. I hate this. I hate this. Prepare for the next one Because sadly and I'm not wishing this y'all, but there could be a next one Political violence in America is becoming normalized and you need to be ready to respond quickly and decisively when it happens again.

Speaker 2:

Charlie Kirk was 31 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him. He was murdered for the crime of having conservative political views and being willing to express them publicly. If that doesn't break your heart and make you angry, I don't know what to say to you. And if you think your job as a leader is to stay neutral about murder. You're not a leader. You're a bystander. The people in your team are looking to you for guidance, for clarity, for courage. They want to know that their leader has the moral backbone to call evil what it is. They want to know that you'll stand up for basic human decency, even when it's uncomfortable.

Speaker 2:

Political violence is a cancer on democracy. It's a poison that destroys civil discourse. It's a threat to every American who believes in the power of ideas over the power of bullets. As leaders, we have a responsibility to condemn it unequivocally. We have a responsibility to protect the people in our care. We have a responsibility to build cultures where disagreement is welcome, but violence is never tolerated. Disagreement is welcome, but violence is never tolerated.

Speaker 2:

If you're struggling with how to navigate these conversations with your team, I'm here to help. Reach out to me on LinkedIn or on my website or whatever. Let me help you navigate these conversations, especially if you have some sensitive issues that need to be addressed. Next week, I will be back with more practical leader insights, but right now I need you to go have the hard conversations with your team, because someone in your organization is processing this tragedy and they need to know where you stand. Thank you for listening to the podcast. Again, I'm colby. Keep standing up for human dignity, okay, protecting your people from violence and building cultures where ideas matter more than bullets. And you know why? Because those are the things that leaders do.

Speaker 1:

Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do. If you're looking for more tips on how to be a better leader, be sure to subscribe to the podcast and listen to next week's episode. Until next time, keep working on being a better leader by doing the things that leaders do.