Becoming a ‘Crisis Tamer’

When workplace trauma became crystal clear for me

February 26, 1993.

There was life before that day and then life after that day.

February 26, 1993 is the day Tower 1 of the WTC was bombed…the first time.

I worked for a company on the 79th floor.

Working that high in the sky you could feel the building sway occasionally and the elevator, that ascended at gut-wrenching speed, had both a frustrating and terrifying habit of getting stuck on the 55th floor.

That day is when architects realized there was a fundamental flaw in the design and construction of the building, especially with the fire doors, that were supposed to prevent the stairwells from filling with smoke so people could get out safely. They didn’t.

That day is when a car bomb, down in the parking garage more than 79 flights below, created terror and havoc the likes of which I never thought possible in a workplace.

That was when a crystal-clear awareness of workplace trauma began for me….and that the leaders I answered to didn’t have the expertise to skillfully meet the challenges this would manifest.

The worst part of that was not their lack of experience or skill, no, the worst part was their lack of awareness and willingness to get the help they needed, to be the leaders we needed, to emerge from this nightmare and begin to function and feel safe again. So, we never did.

That was when I saw how ineffective obedience driven, command and control leadership styles are.

That was when I observed how a lack of expertise drove basically good human beings with authority to ignore and threaten employees having panic attacks in the lobby of the building, unable to get in the elevator to make that gut-wrenching trip up to their workplaces.

That was when I saw how fear and discomfort with facing challenges falling outside of traditional leadership issues could hijack empathy and common sense.

That was when I observed leaders, frustrated to be not getting the results they wanted, double down on threatening employees, without getting any better results, yet continuing to do it just the same.

That was when I saw functioning and productivity become nearly impossible and all sense of meaning and purpose in work there evaporate.

That was when I began noticing my co-workers walk with a stoop, literally feeling ‘beaten down.’

That was when I said, “this is not ok.”

That was when I began seeing a stampede of employees resign and head out the front door, myself included.

That was when the eventual breaking apart and selling off pieces of the company began and inevitable bankruptcy for the rest started.

That was when I realized that being trauma informed and equipped is an imperative for leaders, not a luxury.

That was when trauma in the workplace changed the trajectory of my professional life, I just didn’t know it yet.

September 11, 2001. That was when the WTC buildings were blown to bits and fell over, and I was still working in NYC.

That was when I was supposed to be working downtown that day but a change in scheduling may have saved my life.

That was when the events of February 26, 1993 came rushing back to me.

That was when I observed all the same fear, bewilderment, lack of skill and lack of empathy in the leadership I worked for in the aftermath of 9/11…not because they were bad people, they just didn’t know what to do.

That was when I said, “this is not ok.” Again.

That was when it became crystal clear to me that my developing the expertise to coach, advise and support those in leadership to respond effectively and empathetically to workplace trauma, grief and loss, would be a useful and meaningful expression of my skills.

That was when I realized, I’m a ‘crisis tamer’ and I’ve never looked back.