Until recently, I had only thought about the benefits of trauma-informed leadership in the context of leaders and teams within organizations, focusing on the changes created when leaders integrate these practices into their work. I hadn’t made the connection to solving the planet’s larger problems, as outlined in the UN’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the leadership skills needed to achieve them.
These goals will create a sustainable foundation for the planet. Massive shifts in how we work and live will be essential for tackling and solving climate change, poverty, and a long list of changes that will impact us. To achieve these sustainability goals, organizations will need to operate differently, requiring new ways of leading.
I had an opportunity to hear neurobiologist Dr. Dan Siegel speak about the importance of this work through the trauma-informed coaching and consulting certification I’m completing this year. He emphasized that when we manage our reaction to the word “trauma,” we can see the broader impact of trauma-informed work and how vertical development can help us solve significant societal issues.
Key Leadership Skills To Achieve the UN’s Sustainability Goals
In parallel, a working group has defined the essential leadership skills needed to implement the UN’s sustainability goals, known as Inner Development Goals (IDGs). When I read them, it felt deeply aligned with my work in vertical leadership development, even though I hadn’t considered my work in sustainability terms until now.
The five essential inner development skills include:
- Being – Relationship to Self How self-aware am I?
- Thinking – Cognitive Skills How well can I think to solve critical problems?
- Relating – Caring for Others and the World How empathetic am I?
- Collaborating – Social Skills How well do I work and connect with others?
- Acting – Enabling Change How well do I inspire and support others to create change?
The UN’s goals, and the skills identified to achieve them, are difficult to integrate without doing the vertical development leadership work needed to shift our mindset. We can’t continue to focus on honing the skills we’ve already learned; we need to be thinking about how to adapt to solve new and complex issues as they unfold.
Many organizations are making similar sustainability commitments, even if they aren’t specifically linked to the UN goals. Vertical development allows leaders to increase their capacity for questioning patterns, expanding their perspective (and removing biases that prevent creative problem-solving), and establishing the emotional regulation to stay calm, even in adverse situations.
This inner work is often blocked by trauma—we hold trauma in our bodies, even without realizing it, and it keeps us in avoidance mode because it amplifies our stress response. It keeps us vigilant and on high alert, which keeps us in “fight or flight” mode.
With 90% of adults experiencing at least one trauma in their lifetime, trauma isn’t something we can ignore or pretend we can leave it at the door when we come to work. As leaders, we don’t need to understand the sources of trauma for team members, or even ourselves, but we do need to acknowledge that individuals are carrying their trauma histories with them to work.
Trauma-informed leadership is an approach to leading that recognizes and responds to the effects of trauma on individuals. It acknowledges the importance of safety, belonging and connection in teams to optimize productivity. According to the Crisis & Trauma Resource Institute (CTRI), there are five key principles for trauma-informed leadership: promote awareness, shift attitudes, foster safety, provide choice, and highlight strengths. Central to these principles is educating leaders about their reactivity patterns, especially in stressful and challenging situations. By helping leaders build more presence and become less reactive, team members can remain focused and connected, rather than experiencing increased stress from unpredictable, angry, or agitated leadership.
When leaders understand the importance of integrating trauma-informed approaches in their work, they’re focused on building strong, supportive relationships with their team.
It starts with self-awareness (and self-acceptance, which can be difficult), and daily practices for managing their stress responses in a productive way.
Calm leaders are steady, grounded leaders. Their teams can count on them to stay focused and make great decisions, even during stressful situations, which means their teams can trust them to lead them well in difficult, challenging times.
It’s ideal for the increasing complexity and uncertainty facing teams today. And it’s exactly the skill set needed to deliver the UN’s complex sustainability goals.
Companies at the forefront of this work
A great example of this work in action is Patagonia, who sell sustainable outdoor clothing and gear. They state, “Earth is now our only shareholder” which means ethical and sustainable practices guide their business decisions. Their commitment to a range of practices, from fair wages and employee well-being to their fabric choices and production, make them a leader in integrating several SDGs successfully.
Kaiser Permanente is a leader in recognizing the importance of acknowledging trauma and providing trauma-informed practices in the workplace. Their work in providing trauma-informed practices in their workplace health solutions and their steps to educate organizations on stress and trauma-informed support for employees are models for how this work can be integrated without needing to discuss the sources of trauma.
Note: these examples don’t just come from their website claims; their statements and work practices continue to be reviewed and assessed by external third parties like Good on You or as references in the research work of others in the field.
How to get started in your leadership work
There’s no single approach to implementing this work. It can’t be achieved in an afternoon workshop; it requires practice, testing, and reflection to adjust your leadership style to become more present and calm day-to-day. Trauma-informed leadership practices will help you think clearly, collaborate with your colleagues, test new options, and make rapid decisions to move quickly, all while staying calm and avoiding relational fiascos.
Here are three steps you can take to integrate trauma-informed leadership practices into your work:
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Self-awareness: Trauma-informed leaders actively expand their self-awareness, focused on the types of skills identified with the IDG. Rather than situation-specific leadership skills to turn on or off as needed, trauma-informed leaders understand their nervous system states and have practices to help resource their system when it’s activated, making them more receptive and connected. This opens the “social engagement system” giving them a better ability to identify solutions more quickly and collaborate more effectively with their teams.
Try: Take 2 minutes at the end of your day and ask, “Where was there conflict today? Did I manage it with integrity? What could I do differently next time? -
Self-regulation: Leaders who practice mindfulness and other calm-inducing activities find their responses to stressful and unexpected situations are less impulsive. This keeps their nervous system better regulated and they are able to be more creative and keep their team focused on the right solutions.
Try: Take a few minutes at the start of each day or lunchtime for box breathing: breathe in for 4 counts, hold your breath for 4 counts, then breathe out for 4 counts and hold your breath out for 4 counts. Repeat for 2-3 minutes. -
Co-regulation: Leaders who are intentional about nurturing connection from a grounded and balanced state positively impact the nervous systems of the people around them. Calm people help make other people calm.
Try: Each day, identify one planned interaction where you’ll focus on staying present in the moment with that person as they speak and limit your interruptions. When it’s over, reflect on your experience. How long were you present with them? What pulled you out of the moment? How was the interaction with fewer interruptions?
Continuing to refine these vertical leadership skills will be essential for solving the sustainability and continued complex situations in the years ahead. We need to embrace this new way of leading, now.
