Trauma Inspired Leadership Theory
How metabolized trauma fuels paradoxical dialogues which embolden leadership ability and practice.
Leadership is commonly understood as a matter of knowledge and action, yet its deepest dimension, the being or spiritual core, often goes unrecognized. It is in this space that leaders process their wounds, trauma, and adversity (Lozano, 2017).
The concept of leadership is influenced by the post-World War II psychological focus on victimology, or disease framework of mental health, which has resulted in the stigmatization of the shadow side of leaders and leadership (Seligman & Csikszentmihalyi, 2000). Positive psychology, sees negative and positive emotions not just as the opposite of each other, but as having independent dimensions (Kabou et al., 2011). Understanding the positive outcomes of trauma and its effects on leadership is different in outcomes then is viewing them as the oppositional counterpart of trauma’s negative impact. Examples which explore this understanding are Post Traumatic Growth (PTG) and Pro-Social Leadership Theory.
In order to hold the positive and negative tensions between trauma and leadership a paradoxical framework of “both/and” thinking must be embraced. This moves us away from binary logic that frames reality into a series of “either/or” living. Paradox serves as a framework for insights into apparent contradictions and complex relationships. A paradox is tense and cannot be resolved because it reveals two sides of the same coin. It harnesses the power, however, of holding opposites together to recognize unthought of possibilities (Lewis, 2000). Human experience is inherently paradoxical (Palmer, 1998).
“Leadership is a commitment to continual growth. Am I walking the floor with my staff? Am I walking the walk? I am just a worker among workers. There is a purpose to this. If we can get out of the way and let go, the things that are most important will surface. You have to let others in in order to be able to live” (P18, P6, P7, P8).
“I believe that people have stories, and if we’re open, willing, and honest, we can all become leaders without even trying”
A Narrative Form of Inquiry uses individual narratives to evaluate the process and trajectory of phases and stages of stories to build a core concept about relational dynamics present in real-world situations (Morse, 2001). Grounded Theory (GT), what I used for this study, begins with individual stories, and through constant analysis and comparison, breaks them apart, and puts them back together again. This becomes the collective story, which constitutes the core category or development of theory (Miller, 2015, Morse, 2001). GT is well suited to explore the psychological, behavioral side of leadership expression and evolution.