#164 Trauma-Informed Leadership: Building Regenerative organisations with Jessi Beyer

A crisis is not a dramatic event, but is any situation where circumstances exceed a person’s ability to cope..

What does this mean for leadership behaviour and psychological safety in teams ?

Jessi and I discuss what trauma actually is and why it is present in organisations. We explore burnout, disengagement, and toxic culture, emphasizing the importance of intentionally designing leadership to counter these issues. Our discussion goes beyond typical well-being perks to explore the invisible dynamics of trauma at work and how leaders can unknowingly amplify it.

Jessi Beyer, a crisis mental health clinician and SWAT negotiator, defines a crisis not as a dramatic event, but as any situation where circumstances exceed a person’s ability to cope. This means that seemingly minor deviations in workplace behaviour—like chronic tardiness, increased irritability, or uncharacteristic outbursts—can signal an employee is in crisis. Recognizing these subtle shifts is crucial for early intervention, preventing situations from escalating to more severe emergencies.

However, leaving these signs unheard is toxic. Many leaders feel discomfort when addressing an employee’s struggles, often citing lack of time or fear of saying the wrong thing. However, even a brief, genuine moment of connection can make an employee feel seen and less alone, planting a seed for future support and for their nervous system to calm down somewhat. The analogy between an organization and a human nervous system, is so important when we see that a leader’s tone, pacing, and language directly regulate the team’s emotional state. The “vibe” created by leaders profoundly impacts how employees feel, behave, and perform.

Leaders who show up with empathy and a willingness to sit with discomfort create an environment where employees feel safe to bring their best selves to work.

Listen for further insights and practices to help you anticipate and intentionally regulate your team's nervous system

The main insights you'll get from this episode are :

• Prevention starts long before a crisis, responding to people’s worst moments; trauma can show up in everyday situations, hence trauma-informed leadership for situations in which circumstances exceed a person’s ability to cope.
• In the workplace, deviations from standard behaviour are warning signs for intervention; crisis requires safe regulation and emotional precision must overcome discomfort by creating a moment of connection.
• It is important to regulate the human nervous system, and organisations are systems that have an impact on their team’s state – an organisational culture must indicate safety, and leaders’ energy has a downstream effect.
• Culture is what you tolerate, based on lived experience, and leaders can interrupt harm in the moment by questioning to de-escalate the situation; addressing people directly is a way to anticipate the situation.
• Creating a culture in which other people see the harm demonstrates solidarity and ideally permeates all functions; it must be more than just a box-ticking exercise to dispel hyper-vigilance.
• A flat hierarchy allows a leader to be approached by taking a curious (and empathetic) view - leaders have experiences that make them toxic, often subconsciously, and psychoeducation can be helpful here.
• Daily practice to build a positive culture involves applauding the behaviour that you want; engaging in small, interpersonal exchanges makes a big difference, leading to incremental change over time.
• Awareness when it comes to change starts with recognition before action: the best leaders are often not those with the supervisory title, but those who inspire trust and support, with boundaries, and change lives.
• Healing from trauma requires learning that you have agency – work can be a place of healing with trauma-informed leadership: recognition, empathy, and a willingness to be uncomfortable and exposed to the full human experience.
• Compliance in the short term does not ensure professional growth, and leadership requires real listening without fixing, judging or shaming – essentially emotional regulation, restoring capacity, and fuelling performance.

Find out more about Jessi and her work here :

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessierinbeyer/

https://jessibeyerinternational.com/