We are living in a volatile period. We made it through a global health crisis, but not without scars or loss. We continue to learn how our interdependent global economy is vulnerable to disruptions. Inflation, real and perceived economic instability, wars and other geopolitical conflicts, have consequential implications for every day citizens. Climate change, migration, generational changes, and evolving social norms heighten our sense of stability. Technological evolutions and their implications for jobs, employment, and the labor market overall have people feeling uneasy.
The threat of significant change accompanying the presidential transition has leaders and average citizens wondering how best to prepare. For leaders across sectors, including higher education, it is an opportunity to affirm our commitment to fostering healthy, inclusive, and empathetic communities within our organizations where people feel a sense of belonging and purpose. Ensuring psychological safety and promoting mental and physical well-being are especially important during these uncertain times.
In a time where some may not feel seen, valued, and may even feel dehumanized, it is important—not just for workplace morale and productivity—for leaders to acknowledge the difficult times, communicate often and with authenticity to strengthen the bonds that make the organization a community.
In higher education, we often emphasize reinforcing the sense of belonging and community among students while forgetting that faculty and staff also need to feel seen. They are the ones to whom students turn in their times of need and when they need to feel validated. They bear their own worries while carrying those of the students for whom they are responsible. Their feelings and worries also need to be acknowledged.
These are indeed volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous times we are experiencing. Holding space for all the emotions while emphasizing individual agency and hope makes it easier to traverse tough periods in community.
