Managing Grief and Crisis in Real Estate Practice

When the unexpected hits, it takes your breath away. It can come in a variety of forms; unexpected and life-changing medical diagnoses, crisis in the form of a pandemic that changes our economy irrevocably, or a media storm that concerns your business and feels insurmountable.

For every business owner, a form of crisis will at some stage confront their practice. At Love&Co, we’ve been negotiating our way through both the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the unexpected loss of a beloved colleague. In the face of these happenings, we’ve collectively faced grief. As Partners at Love&Co, we have identified gaps in our systems. How exactly were we to address the aching loss in our business, while supporting our colleagues and caring for ourselves? In this article, I share some thoughts on managing grief and crisis in your agency. I hope our experiences help you to create a map through some of the tougher days you might have in business.

On Privacy

Considerations around privacy during a matter of grief are complex. Employees or colleagues are simultaneously private people and public people. Any announcements concerning any team members, then, are collaborative; both a family’s wishes should be understood and a business’ duty of disclosure to stakeholders need be acknowledged. This is a difficult matter that needs to be dealt with sensitively, and once an approach has been settled upon, respected.

‘Leaks’ of information have the potential to wreak havoc; they can damage interpersonal relationships within businesses, create confusion amongst clients and colleagues, and undermine a brand’s reputation.

Supporting Your Team Through Crisis

It’s important that your team are updated on critical incidents at an appropriate time, and that you as a Principal are will to answer their questions on the matter. It’s equally important to be frank if you can’t answer their questions, and to provide secondary support systems – such as access to counsellors or structured opportunities to share their thoughts and feelings on the happening in future comings-together. You don’t want to hide essential facts, as rumour not only spreads fast in organisations – it has the potential to undermine trust overall.

Seeking Support as a Business Leader

Who does the leader look to for help? Being a Principal or business owner can be a lonely road; you’re viewed by colleagues as the go-to person for problems professional … and sometimes personal, too. Leaders frequently need to look outside their organisations for the expertise and safe space necessary to gain perspective and support on their practice and inner state. If your business is in the midst of a crisis, it’s OK – and probably necessary – for you to acknowledge that you’re in difficulty. Or at the very least, that you’re being really challenged. Progressive business leaders will then look to build support systems to help them process what is happening/has happened within their business, and how to move forward. A leader’s support crew will regularly consist of a therapist/counsellor, mentor, and mastermind group – each offering a different context and perspective on their matter.

Remember – your role as a leader at work doesn’t mean you have all the answers or personal resources to manage the most critical of incidents. Your responsibility now is to build systems that help you and your colleagues to take the right steps at the trickiest of times, so that should crisis visit – you know how to begin managing it with confidence.

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Michael Love.