1. Dr. Kathleen E. Allen keallen1@charter.net www. Kathleenallen.net
The Role of Forgiveness in Healing and Organization from a Toxic Leader
Dr. Kathleen E. Allen
www. Kathleenallen.net

2. Why is forgiveness needed?
Toxic leaders leave residual damage after they are fired!
People who have aligned with the toxic leader also have damaged their relationships, but often aren’t fired with the toxic leader
Victims of the behavior of a toxic leader and people who violated their trust by wanting to please the leader or do their bidding also carry anger and emotions about them and the organization
Why is forgiveness needed?

3. Assumptions Forgiveness in an internal choice
Move from hopeless, or passive hope to active hope is essential
Individually and organizationally
Sometimes the consultant has to hold the hope for a healthier organization before they are able to hold a vision for a healthy organization themselves
If they can’t forgive, they can’t aspire to something more
Aspirations and shared higher purpose are impacted by the deep need that is felt in the organization
Healing relationships
Healthy organization
Serving clients better

4. Design principles Create conditions conducive to forgiveness
Intervene with the smallest act that can achieve the highest impact
Depends on connection and relationships
Depends on self-organization toward a healthy organization after the consultant is gone
Requires a shift away from negative energy to positive energy
Authenticity
Reciprocity
Shared higher purpose

5. The Process – qualitative interviews phase
Individual interviews (of all or people in key positions)
Establishes relationship and trust with consultant
Provides an opportunity for employee to tell their story
Deep listening is part of the healing process
Invites them to imagine a healthy team / organization
Reactivates their aspirations for something better
Allows the consultant to discover what the current state of the organization is
Helps the consultant recognize who is ready to change, who are self-protective, who might be resistant etc.

6. Content Analysis Identify themes and patterns
Prepare the content themes so the interviewees can see what came up from individual’s experiences this can normalize their experience
Helps the whole group see what they aspire to collectively

7. Retreat design – human Time Line
Line up by length of time in the organization
Cluster by similar start dates
Reflect on what the organization was like when they first arrived
Share collective and individual story from their small group discussion
Helps remember times when the organization was different
Names the hurts and damage living with toxicity
Builds empathy shared understanding of the cost of toxicity

8. Retreat Design – sharing themes and observations from individual interviews
Can see their experience in the collective voice
Allows for aspirations to be articulated
How they want their relationships to be
What a healthy team / organization looks like to them

9. Retreat Design – developing solutions
People only support solutions that they help to create
People only pay attention to what matters to them here and now
People and organizations grow and evolve with information
In groups, have them come up with goals and actions that can they believe will help move the organization toward health

10. Sample Solutions Staff Create Roll back Take
Staff developed operating principles
Work through issues directly (no talking behind people’s back / spreading gossip)
Create
Create a common experience for all employees that reinforces our aspirational values
Roll back
Deliberately roll back rules and regulations that controlled others or are associated with toxic leader
Take
Take symbolic action that is reflective of who we want to be come (red coffee cups)
Create reflective practice that lifts up default behavior

11. Follow up and next steps
Coaching for key leaders
Annual retreats
Pattern of evolution (opposite, mix opposite with aspiration, to claim their choice
Reinforce peer feedback and engagement
Practice telling the truth to each other (because toxic environments make lying normal)
Redesign performance reviews and job descriptions to support the shift toward a healthy organization
Core vlaues

12. It takes time Initially hope moves from hopeless to passive hope
Some shift to active hope
Tentative behavior shifts start
Staff look to leaders to see if they are modeling the shift and supporting others to do so as well
Increase supervisor and employees check ins
Metrics that staff can see for themselves that let them know things are shifting
Notice how common areas are supported (break room)

13. Last thoughts and questions
Progress can be uneven in departments and teams depending on how exposed or protected they have been from the toxicity
Not everyone stays as the organization gets healthier
Victim mentality or can’t forgive
People who hold onto the toxic behavior
Questions, thoughts, insights
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