Understanding Trauma: Insights from Dan Joseph

An Imperfect Leader

INTRO: Before listening to this episode, I want to make sure that you know that this episode deals with trauma. If you have experienced trauma in your past, you might want to find the right time to listen to this episode. And remember, if you or someone you know needs the suicide or crisis lifeline, you can dial 988 from any phone.

For me, the experiences my guest describes in this episode were a reminder of leading a school district during the pandemic. I can still remember it like it was yesterday. The year was turning from 2019 to 2020. I was a superintendent and I started hearing about a virus appearing in Seattle and New York. I wrote a note in my journal that we should plan to give an update on the emerging coronavirus at the April board meeting. In mid-March, however, I had a meeting with the Director of the local Health Department. It was abundantly clear the presentation would need to be way earlier than April. I would be explaining why the virus would be closing the district down.

I remember responding to questions from community members. They wanted to know how this year was different from past years when there were high cases of the flu. In all other years, I thought, we were not directed to stay in our homes by every level of national, state, and local government. In all other years, we were not tuning in to the news or talking with neighbors who had been impacted in some way by this global pandemic. In all other years, we hadn’t felt such tremendous loss. And I can remember hoping for a return to normal routines. Everyone was hoping for that! Unfortunately, like school districts all across the globe, each decision caused more and more grief.

My guest, an author and former army veteran and trainer, talks about how to talk with adults who have experienced trauma. School leaders, all leaders, are not often trained to handle their own distress, nor are they necessarily skilled at recognizing the trauma of others. Dan Joseph is a terrific guest because he talks about the things to look for, the things to notice (like people being hypervigilant, for example). In the second part, he describes a time when a soldier was dealing with mental health during lockdowns. People were struggling with their own traumas and didn’t have the bandwidth to help this individual. The directions were to keep it quiet and stick with the mission.

It’s a fantastic episode.

BIO: Dan Joseph is an Army veteran and author of Backpack to Rucksack: Insight Into Leadership and Resilience From Military Experts. When I’ve read parts of his book, reviewed combatpsych.com tools, and listened to him on The Power of Our Story, I was struck by some of the similarities we look for when it comes to leadership (in the military and in education), including the ability to look back and see what we can learn from our experiences.

NOTE: Here is a link to a Harvard Business Review article I mention on self awareness.

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Music for An Imperfect Leader was written and arranged by Ian Varley.

Sam Falbo created our artwork, a wood-print inspired daruma doll butterfly.

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My book, An Imperfect Leader: Leadership in (After) Action is available at Amazon.com or peterstiepleman.com.