Leave your door open

I came across a really superb article from the Harvard Business Review this morning by Drs. Washington (Georgetown University), Birch (University of Texas), and Hall (Emory University) entitled "How to Talk with Your Team About the Violence at the U.S. Capitol".  No matter how hard you try as a leader, you cannot escape major events such as this one from impacting the workplace.  It's inevitable that, regardless of political view, these kinds of events will affect everyone.  It's hard not to talk about them at work, nor is it probably a good idea to ignore having conversations about them.

The range of emotions after an event like this one are all across the spectrum.  We can feel anxious, scared, disillusioned, or disappointed.  We may feel grief or anger about the event itself.  I have always found (as do the three experts that wrote this article) that leaders should resist the temptation to shy away from having conversations about these strong opinions and emotions.  We never have the right words to say, but we can always listen.

According to Drs. Washington, Birch, and Hall, leaders should respond to these kinds of events by:

1. Creating space 

2. Acknowledging what happened

3. Affirming the range of emotions in how different individuals respond

4. Personalizing the experience by sharing your own

5. Offering support

6. Reinforcing the values of the organization and its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion

7. Highlighting the available resources to learn more

All of these are really great suggestions.  The most important thing that a leader can do is to leave the door open and be available to listen.  Really great advice!