Trauma-informed leadership is essential to creating healthy, thriving workplaces and communities. Dr. Khiela Holmes, a recent guest on the Mindful Management podcast, introduced a simple yet profound framework for embedding trauma-informed principles into leadership: the Five Ss.
The Five Ss are safety, supportive relationships, self-awareness, structure, and sustainability. These principles offer leaders a clear path to fostering environments where individuals feel valued, heard, and supported.
Building a trauma-informed culture is an ongoing process that can feel overwhelming due to its expansive nature. Dr. Holmes’ Five Ss framework provides a roadmap for effective implementation, ensuring leaders can focus their efforts in meaningful ways.
Safety
Safety is the foundation of trauma-informed leadership. A psychologically healthy workplace ensures that everyone – employees, children, families, and community members – feels secure. Leaders can foster safety by being consistent, reliable, and attuned to the needs of their teams and the individuals they serve.
When people feel safe, they are more likely to thrive. Conversely, a lack of safety can lead to behaviors that reflect underlying fear or anxiety. Creating a safe environment involves making sure that everyone feels valued, seen, and heard while also knowing what to expect.
Supportive Relationships
Supportive relationships are cultivated through consistent and compassionate interactions. Trauma-informed leaders prioritize building trust and ensuring that individuals feel heard and understood. These relationships serve as a cornerstone for healing and growth.
Maintaining supportive relationships can be challenging with those who resist trauma-informed practices. Some find trauma-informed approaches are misunderstood or feel too lenient. Leaders can address resistance to trauma-informed care practices with trauma-informed care practices!
Offer clear, compassionate communication, look for the root causes of hesitation, and focus on ways trauma-informed care aligns with organizational values. By approaching resistance through a trauma-informed lens, leaders can engage others with grace, kindness, and transparency.
Self-Awareness
Self-awareness is a critical component of trauma-informed leadership. Leaders must engage in continuous personal growth and develop emotional intelligence to recognize and address their own strengths, needs, and areas for improvement. This requires humility and a commitment to lifelong learning.
Dr. Holmes emphasizes that self-awareness allows leaders to balance authority with growth. Active in the faith community, she mentions faith leaders can be seen as authority figures beyond reproach. However, she encourages everyone to develop a practice of continually learning about ourselves and our own trauma. Everyone is growing.
By understanding their own experiences and biases, leaders have the unique opportunity to foster environments of personal and organizational development. With humility, leaders can better support their teams and create environments that prioritize connection and understanding.
Read our Complete Guide to Self-Awareness for more.
Structure
Structure is essential in implementing trauma-informed principles. Clear policies, procedures, and practices help reduce anxiety and foster predictability. Whether it’s offering mental health days, reevaluating disciplinary policies, or creating consistent HR practices, structure reinforces a trauma-informed approach.
Predictability and reliability not only support individuals but also contribute to a more cohesive and less chaotic organizational culture. Leaders who prioritize structure provide a framework that promotes safety and stability by reducing uncertainty.
Sustainability
Sustainability ensures that trauma-informed practices are maintained over time. This requires both personal and organizational commitment to holistic self-care and ongoing development. Leaders must prioritize their well-being to model sustainability for their teams.
On an organizational level, sustainability involves creating systems and supports that outlast current leaders and staff. By embedding trauma-informed practices into the fabric of the organization, leaders can ensure long-term impact long after they’re gone.
The Role of Community
Dr. Holmes notes the role that community plays in broadly embedding trauma-informed principles into practice. Trauma-informed leadership extends beyond individual organizations. Connections to community institutions like schools, faith-based organizations, and mental health agencies create a unified approach to trauma-informed care. These partnerships address broader needs such as food and housing insecurity, fostering a sense of belonging and collective responsibility.
Trauma healing and recovery happen in relationships, therefore healthy communities are vital for trauma healing. Leaders who engage with their communities not only strengthen their organizations but also contribute to a larger culture of care and support. Dr. Holmes encourages every leader to be open to learning. We all have something valuable to learn from others in the community.
Final thoughts on Trauma-Informed Leadership
The Five Ss are interconnected; one practice supports the others. Structure promotes safety. Supportive relationships often lead to greater self-awareness. Sustainability practices through community connections build supportive relationships.
Trauma-informed leadership, guided by the Five Ss – safety, supportive relationships, self-awareness, structure, and sustainability – offers a clear and actionable framework for creating environments where people feel valued and supported. This approach fosters healing, growth, and resilience, benefiting both individuals and organizations.
Implementing trauma-informed principles requires ongoing effort and intentionality, but the rewards are profound. By embracing the Five Ss and fostering community connections, leaders can create lasting change that empowers individuals and strengthens organizations.
Dr. Holmes’ Recommended resources
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) email list
Books about religious trauma: Holy Ghosted and When Religion Hurts You
Where to find more information or to contact Dr. Holmes
Click HERE to listen to the episode of Mindful Management with Dr. Khiela Holmes.