Understanding Trauma-Informed Management | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep.004

Transforming Workplaces with Trauma-Informed Leadership

Why does your talented colleague suddenly miss deadlines? Why do organizational changes trigger profound anxiety? In this episode of Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide, I explore the hidden prevalence of trauma in workplaces and its powerful impact on professional performance and well-being.

As a trauma survivor turned trauma-informed career coach, I reveal why traditional management approaches often feel disconnected for employees carrying trauma histories. You'll discover the comprehensive SAMHSA framework for trauma-informed leadership that transforms workplace dynamics and creates environments where healing and resilience can flourish.

Key insights include:
* Understanding trauma's invisible influence on workplace behavior
* The six core principles of trauma-informed management
* How trauma disrupts professional relationships and communication
* Practical implementation strategies that honor both productivity and healing
* Creating psychological safety within organizational structures

Welcome to Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide, the podcast reimagining career development for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Cyndi Bennett, founder of the Resilient Career Academy, helping leaders create workplaces where everyone—regardless of their trauma history—can truly thrive.

🔗 Download my Trauma-Informed Management - Quick Reference Guide: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/resources
📱 Connect with me: admin@cyndibennettconsulting.com
🌟 Learn about the Resilient Career Academy: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/rcalearningcommunity
#TraumaInformedLeadership #WorkplaceSafety #HealingCenteredWork #TraumaWiseCareer #ResilienceAtWork

00:00 Introduction: The Hidden Impact of Trauma in the Workplace
01:46 Understanding Trauma's Prevalence and Effects
04:12 Introducing Trauma-Informed Approaches
05:21 The Six Key Principles of Trauma-Informed Workplaces
06:01 Challenges for Leaders with Trauma Histories
07:16 What Trauma-Informed Management Is and Isn't
08:08 Implementing Trauma-Informed Practices
09:14 Join the Resilient Career Academy
10:11 Upcoming Episode Preview
11:40 Conclusion: Embracing Trauma-Informed Career Success

When you're ready, here are 3 ways I can help you grow your career journey:

1. Free trauma-informed career development resources from my website! Visit https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com for always up-to-date tips.
2. Ready to build a fulfilling career with trauma-informed support? Join The Resilient Career Academy Learning Community, where trauma survivors support each other, share resources, and develop career resilience in a safe, understanding environment
3. Ready for personalized trauma-informed career coaching? Explore my range of virtual coaching packages designed for different stages of your career journey. Visit my website to find the right support for where you are now. [Visit my website: https://www.cyndibennettconsulting.com/1-on-1-coaching]

DISCLOSURE: Some links I share might contain resources that you might find helpful. Whenever possible I use referral links, which means if you click any of the links in this video or description and make a purchase we may receive a small commission or other compensation at no cost to you.

Transcript

Understanding Trauma-Informed Management | Your Trauma-Wise Career Guide Ep.004
Cyndi Bennett: [00:00:00] Have you ever wondered why your talented colleague suddenly starts missing deadlines? Or why you feel inexplicably frozen during certain workplace interactions? Perhaps you've noticed how organizational changes that seem logical on paper create profound anxiety for your team.
Behind the professional facades we maintain at work, trauma is far more common than most of us realize.
The statistics are startling. Approximately 70% of adults worldwide have experienced at least one traumatic event in their lifetime. In any given workplace, about one in four employees is actively managing the effects of trauma.
If you are navigating your career while carrying trauma, traditional management approaches might feel disconnected from your reality.
That's why today's episode is crucial for both trauma survivors and those who lead them.
I've [00:01:00] spent years researching how trauma impacts workplace dynamics, not just as a career coach, but as someone who has walked this path personally. Today I'm going to share insights that will transform how you experience leadership, whether you're the one being managed or doing the managing.
By the end of this episode, you'll understand the unique challenges trauma creates in workplace relationships, and discover practical trauma-informed approaches that benefit everyone in your organization.
Skip this, and you might continue misinterpreting trauma responses as performance issues or worse, inadvertently creating workplace conditions that trigger, rather than heal.
Did you know that trauma impacts how we navigate our careers? But most career advice ignores this reality. Imagine feeling confident and safe at work while honoring your healing journey. [00:02:00] Welcome to your Trauma Wise Career Guide, the podcast that reimagines career development for trauma survivors. I'm your host, Cyndi Bennett, a trauma survivor, turned trauma informed career coach and founder of the Resilient Career Academy. If you're navigating your career. While honoring your healing journey, you are in the right place.
Let's start with a reality check about trauma in the workplace. The statistics I mentioned earlier aren't just numbers, they represent real people sitting in your meetings, responding to your emails, and making critical decisions that affect your organization's success.
Beyond the general prevalence, the COVID-19 pandemic created a 25% increase in anxiety and depression worldwide, with many experiencing workplace trauma related to sudden job loss, health, fear or [00:03:00] burnout.
Between seven and 8% of the population will have PTSD at some point in their lives. And what makes this particularly challenging is that trauma often remains invisible in professional settings.
We are taught to compartmentalize, to leave personal struggles at the door, but trauma doesn't work that way. It lives in our bodies and impacts how we respond to stress, criticism, change, and authority.
When trauma responses are triggered at work, they commonly manifest as inconsistent performance, where in otherwise high performing employees suddenly struggle. Heightened sensitivity to feedback that might trigger shame, spirals. Difficulty adapting to organizational changes. Trust barriers that makes building psychological safety. Challenging communication patterns that like aggression avoidance shut down, or excessive people pleasing.
Without understanding [00:04:00] trauma, these behaviors are often misinterpreted as performance problems, attitude issues, or resistance, leaning to interventions that worsen rather than improve the situation.
Thankfully, there's a well-established framework we can adapt to workplace settings. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, (SAMHSA) has developed principles that create environments where both traumatized and non-traumatized individuals can thrive.
SAMHSA defines a trauma-informed approach as one that realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery. Recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in all people involved with the system. Responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices. Seeks to actively resist retraumatization.
What makes this framework [00:05:00] powerful is its focus on systems rather than individuals. Instead of identifying and fixing traumatized employees, it creates environments that naturally support, healing and resilience for everyone.
The framework is built around six key principles that can transform workplace dynamics. Number one is safety, ensuring physical and emotional security. Number two is trustworthiness and transparency, building reliable relationships. Three is peer support creating networks of shared understanding. Four is collaboration and mutuality distributing power. Five is empowerment, voice and choice restoring agency. And number six is cultural, historical, and gender considerations, contextualizing experiences.
When translated into management practices, these principles create workplaces where trauma survivors can not only survive [00:06:00] but thrive.
The complexity deepens when we consider that leaders themselves frequently carry trauma histories, which given the statistics, is extremely common. This creates unique leadership challenges that traditional management training really addresses.
Without understanding their own trauma responses, leaders may react disproportionately to certain employee behaviors that trigger their own wounds. Struggle with boundary setting, becoming either rigid or insufficient with limits. Feel uncomfortable with authority due to past experiences with abusive power. Dynamics develop perfectionism that leads to burnout and unsustainable workloads create complex, escalating dynamics when both manager and employee have trauma histories.
When leaders lack awareness of how their trauma shapes their leadership style, even well-intentioned [00:07:00] management approaches can backfire. Becoming a trauma-informed leader doesn't mean lowering your standards or turning into a therapist. Rather, it means creating conditions where all employees can bring their best selves to work.
Here's what trauma-informed management is. It is a comprehensive approach to leadership that recognizes trauma's, prevalence. It's understanding trauma's impact on workplace dynamics. It's creating systems and practices that promote healing and resilience. It's implementing policies that enhance psychological safety. It's developing communication approaches that minimize triggering responses.
And here's what it's not. It's not turning managers into therapists. It's not lowering performance standards or making excuses. It's not diagnosing employees or invading privacy. [00:08:00] It's not only relevant for certain industries or roles, and it's not a quick fix approach implemented overnight.
When leaders integrate trauma awareness into their management style, they can better distinguish between performance issues and trauma responses, communicate in ways that promote safety rather than trigger defenses, and create accommodations that support high standards rather than compromise them.
Today we've explored how traumas prevalence in the workplace creates unique challenges for both employees and leaders. We've examined how trauma responses can masquerade as performance issues and how traditional management approaches often fall short when trauma is involved.
The SAMHSA framework offers powerful principles for creating trauma-informed workplaces, while understanding that many leaders themselves carry trauma histories, adds crucial context to leadership [00:09:00] development.
But knowing about trauma-informed management is just the beginning. Implementing these principles requires specific tools, techniques, and ongoing practice.
That's where I can help. If you are ready to transform your workplace experience through trauma-informed approaches, I invite you to join my Resilient Career Academy.
In this comprehensive program, you'll learn how to recognize your own trauma responses in workplace settings. Communicate needs effectively without shame. Set boundaries that honor your healing journey. Advocate for trauma-informed policies in your organization. Build career resilience while prioritizing your well-being. Visit Cyndi Bennett consulting.com/rca learning Community to learn more and use podcasts for 15% off [00:10:00] your first month.
Remember, healing doesn't mean choosing between career success and personal well-being. The right approach allows you to pursue both simultaneously.
Before you go, I'm thrilled to share who will be joining me. In our next episode, I'll be welcoming my dear friend Holly Dillon, former Microsoft leader, career coach, and CEO of Recentre Limited in UK.
Together, we'll be exploring the six pillars of trauma-informed management, where we'll translate SAMHSA's principles into practical leadership actions. Holly brings invaluable corporate leadership experience along with her deep understanding of trauma-informed approaches.
She'll share real-world examples of how these principles transform teams she's worked with, including how one organization applied the safety principle to redesign their [00:11:00] performance review process, and how another implemented collaboration and mutuality to distribute power more equitably.
With Holly's expertise from both large corporate environments and her coaching practice, you'll get actionable strategies that work, whether you're managing others or advocating for yourself. Her unique perspective bridges the gap between traditional leadership development and trauma-informed practices.
Subscribe now so you don't miss this powerful conversation with Holly Dillon that can transform your experience at work while honoring your healing journey.
This has been your Trauma Wise Career Guide. I'm Cyndi Bennett, reminding you that your trauma doesn't disqualify you from career success. It equips you with unique insights that, when properly channeled, can become your greatest professional strength.[00:12:00] 
Until next time, take good care.