Post-Traumatic Growth at Work
For years I’ve been intrigued by how differently people respond when they face a difficult upheaval. In 1996, reporting on the aftermath of the war in Bosnia, I met a woman and her daughter who had lived through this harrowing conflict. They invited me and a team of reporters into their home and shared how they survived, stayed as intentionally engaged as possible and were able to even thrive during those three+ years. Off to one side was a room they called their “safe room.” When they moved the plastic sheeting, it was obvious the room had been destroyed.
They stayed in the apartment, closing off that destruction and going about school and work in the midst of bombing, sniper fire, and sirens, often hiding in the basement until it was safe. They never left Sarajevo. It wasn’t the same for everyone. Just a few streets away, others chose to escape and leave the country. When they returned, some got stuck in a vicious cycle and became numb. The war destroyed more than their homes; it took their futures.
It was the beginning of my wondering about how some people emerge from seasons like this with a sense of appreciation, while others become more indifferent.
I didn’t have language for it then, but I do now. That difference in how people respond is what psychologists call post‑traumatic growth. It’s when people change through trauma or disruption in ways that leave them more grounded, more connected, and more focused on making things better.
Join me in this new series as we explore how post‑traumatic growth shows up in your professional sphere, and how leaders and coaches can support people through these challenging seasons.
What is Post‑Traumatic Growth?
The concept of post‑traumatic growth (PTG) was developed in the mid‑1990s by psychologists Richard Tedeschi, PhD, and Lawrence Calhoun, PhD. Their research showed that people who endure psychological struggle following adversity can also experience positive growth.
Tedeschi explains, “People develop new understandings of themselves, the world they live in, how to relate to other people, the kind of future they might have and a better understanding of how to live life.”
To be clear, PTG is not the same as resilience. Resilience is often described as getting back to your previous baseline or bouncing back. PTG is about being changed by what happened. It’s more about the journey of making meaning afterward than simply “returning to normal.”
Tedeschi and Calhoun developed the Post‑Traumatic Growth Inventory. It’s a self‑report scale that looks for positive responses in five key areas:
- Appreciation of life: a deeper appreciation for life and what really matters.
- Relationship with others: stronger, more intentional relationships.
- New possibilities in life: a sense of new possibilities that weren’t visible before.
- Personal strength: greater confidence in one’s ability to handle hardship.
- Spiritual change: shifts in how people make meaning of their lives.
In your role as a leader or coach, consider what this might look like in the people you work with day in and day out.
How post‑traumatic growth can show up at work
After a major disruption in the workplace, you may have noticed that some people become more guarded and skeptical, while others seem more grounded and generous.
In my work coaching leaders, several have shared that the fallout from layoffs truly changed how they lead their teams. They now see themselves as more transparent about decisions, more human in how they communicate, and more committed to creating a healthier organization.
Others survive toxic leaders, colleagues, or team dynamics and discover new ways to set stronger boundaries, support psychological safety, and lean into leadership styles that create more openness in their organizations.
Every day you probably hear about yet another workplace facing a failed launch or a public crisis. What did they do to make sense of those stressful times? While some businesses harden around fear and avoid dealing with core issues, the ones that come out stronger are deliberately choosing to make meaning of what they’ve been through.
Whether you’re a coach or a leader, what do you think makes that difference? What might you be doing that equips those with whom you work to move toward growth?
Engaging with your team using post-traumatic growth
The leaders with whom I partner tell me the strongest indicators for growth show up when there’s a healthy culture in the workplace. That means when there’s a solid connection and engagement with leaders and their teams. They have relationships. They care about each other’s well-being. They listen and talk. Once that happens, individuals are more often inspired to take their work to the next level personally and throughout the org.
Using elements found in PTG, here’s a strategy that Rebecca Weaver offers in HR Uprise
- Build a culture of empathy.
One of the first steps in fostering PTG is creating an environment where people feel seen and heard. After trauma, employees often feel disconnected or isolated, and addressing that emotional gap is key. Leaders must prioritize empathy: understanding not just the work but the person behind it.
- Foster meaningful relationships.
PTG research shows that connection with others is crucial to growth. In the workplace, this means that leaders should prioritize team-building efforts that go beyond surface-level activities. Whether it’s through formal mentoring programs or simply encouraging informal coffee chats, creating opportunities for deeper connections can make a world of difference in how employees feel about their workplace.
- Encourage a sense of purpose.
One of the most powerful outcomes of PTG is the realization of a deeper purpose. After experiencing hardship, employees often re-evaluate their priorities and long for work that aligns with their personal values. Leaders can harness this by helping employees understand how their roles contribute to the larger mission of the organization.
- Focus on personal and professional growth.
Trauma often reveals hidden strengths. After overcoming adversity, employees may discover newfound resilience, creativity, or leadership potential. As a leader, it’s crucial to create opportunities for employees to leverage these strengths in meaningful ways. Growth isn’t linear, and post-traumatic growth often involves trying new things and seeing what sticks.
- Celebrate progress, not just outcomes.
Finally, PTG reminds us that growth is an ongoing process. In the workplace, this means shifting focus from solely rewarding outcomes to celebrating progress, effort, and resilience. Recognizing employees for their adaptability, perseverance, and dedication — especially in challenging times — can enhance engagement. This type of recognition reinforces that the company values not only success but also the effort it takes to get there.
This is exactly where leaders and coaches come in. We can’t control the events people go through, but we have a lot of influence over whether they have honest support, room to think, and a work environment that makes growth more possible.
Where we’re headed next
Most workplaces are full of people carrying more than we can see; personal losses, health crises, layoffs, public failures, private dilemmas. As we’ve observed, some of these challenges may harden our team members as they quietly shut down. Others use these difficulties to discover their strength, connection and purpose.
The way leaders and coaches show up in those seasons doesn’t decide everything, but it shapes far more than we sometimes realize. What I first learned all those years ago, reporting on the aftermath of war, is how even a total upheaval can leave room for a renewed understanding of how to live life.
In the rest of this series, we’ll look at how trauma and chronic stress actually show up on teams, what a trauma‑informed leader does differently in the room, and how coaches can support clients who are leading others through layoffs, crises, and deeply personal loss at work.
My hope is that you walk away with language, tools, and a fresh approach to help people not just get through hard seasons but grow beyond them in ways that change your workplace for the better.
