Grief in the workplace: How business owners can prepare, lead, and heal

A few months ago, Dr. Donna Marino and I decided to do a series of LinkedIn Live conversations about grief in business. It’s something we’ve both experienced personally and often find ourselves helping clients navigate.  

We started by looking at what it means to be a business owner or a sudden successor who has to keep everything going while experiencing the sudden loss of a loved one, a prolonged illness, a business partner's passing, or a personal crisis like divorce. By the end of our first conversation, Donna and I had identified ways to think about preparing for, navigating through, and managing grief in your small or family business. 

First and foremost, your main job is to take care of you, the person who is grieving, before you worry about your business. The best way to do that is to prepare for loss when you’re not actively experiencing it.

1. Before the loss: Building a business that can withstand life’s uncertainties

Having a business continuity plan in place means that when a crisis occurs, your team is prepared to support you so you can take care of yourself and your family. 

Legal and financial readiness

Many owners assume that family or team members will “step in” if something happens to them. But assumptions are not strategies which is why succession planning is so important.

• Ensure your will, trust, operating agreement, and power of attorney distinguish between personal and business responsibilities.
  
• Confirm successors or key personnel have legal access to bank accounts, payroll systems, passwords, and contracts.
  
• Consider separate fiduciaries for personal estate management and business continuity, especially in family businesses.
  

Operational continuity planning

If your business depends on you to function day-to-day, it’s more vulnerable than you think.

• Document standard operating procedures across departments.
  
• Cross-train staff for key roles to prevent bottlenecks.
  
• Identify leadership gaps and actively develop successors; don’t just name them.
  

Emotional and leadership resilience

You won’t lead well through grief if you haven’t made it a habit to practice vulnerability and self-awareness. Investing in your ability to manage and cope with stress is one of the best ways to build resilience and overcome adversity.

• Understand your default stress reactions — Do you shut down? Lash out? Over-function?
  
• Practice asking for help and delegating before it becomes a necessity.
  
• Surround yourself with a trusted network of advisors, mentors, and peers who can step in and offer guidance.
  

2. During the loss: Leading through crisis without losing yourself

When grief strikes, leadership is still expected. That doesn’t mean you have to go it alone or go at full capacity.

Communicate honestly with your team

Your people don’t expect perfection, but they do need clarity.

• Be transparent that you're navigating a difficult period.
  
• Set realistic expectations for response times, decision-making, and visibility.
  
• Appoint a trusted team member to act as your proxy where appropriate.
  

Redistribute and prioritize workloads

This is not the time to carry everything on your shoulders.

• Temporarily reassign key decisions or responsibilities.
  
• Defer non-essential initiatives until you're ready to reengage.
  
• Allow room for imperfect execution from yourself and others.
  

Protect your cognitive and emotional capacity

Grief affects your brain. Executive functioning, memory, focus, and emotional regulation all take a hit.

• Avoid making high-stakes decisions in the immediate aftermath of a loss unless absolutely necessary.
  
• Build in time for rest, therapy, or spiritual practices that ground you.
  
• Lean on advisors who can guide the business while you tend to your personal wellbeing.
  

3. After the loss: Rebuilding with intention

Once the initial storm passes, there’s often an urge to “get back to normal.” But a wiser question is: What version of normal do I want now?

Reevaluate your leadership role and business design

Grief changes you. Use that change to create a new relationship to your business that is more aligned to your personal priorities.

• Reassess your long-term vision for your role in the business.
  
• Identify what responsibilities you no longer want or need to carry.
  
• Consider whether your business model or staffing needs to evolve to support your wellbeing and goals.
  

Institutionalize what you’ve learned

Treat your experience as a case study in business resilience.

• Update your succession plan, org chart, SOPs, and legal documents.
  
• Create protocols for handling grief and loss in the workplace not just for you, but for your team.
  
• Build internal practices that reflect a culture of compassion without sacrificing accountability.
  

Shift the culture around grief

Many companies offer one or two days of bereavement leave — often only for immediate family. That doesn't reflect the reality of loss, especially in close-knit or family-run businesses.

• Train leaders to support employees through grief, mental health challenges, and life transitions.
  
• Model vulnerability yourself. Show that strength includes emotion and boundaries.
  
• Normalize conversations around mental wellbeing and sustainable performance.
  

You can be a leader and still be human

Grief is not a detour from leadership; it is leadership. How you prepare for it, how you walk through it, and how you grow from it speaks volumes about the kind of leader you are.

There is no way to avoid loss, but there are many ways to avoid chaos, burnout, and isolation when it happens. If you’re building a business that’s meant to last, grief readiness must be part of your continuity plan in anticipation of the day when it won’t be business as usual. 

Need help preparing your business for the unexpected? At Purpose First Advisors, we help business owners build value and resilience; especially for even when life throws curveballs. Let’s talk.