[Grace] is something we would want organizations to have. It is something we wound want organizations to strive for as part of their identity or part of their culture

Season 1, Episode 7

I read an interesting article some years back in which a consultant described the experience of his client’s passing, and how he had to cope with the situation–both within himself and regarding his relationship with the organization. It was eye-opening and reminded me of a case where a member of the senior leadership team in an organization I served fell victim to Lou Gehrig’s disease. Despite the toll it took on the body, the leader insisted that the organization carried on. And it did.

Now that I am older, this episode carries much more meaning. Searching for a term to describe how the members of the organization responded, I came to use the term grace. Grace is typically associated with religion, but is also defined non-religiously as “the condition or fact of being favored.” But grace is normally thought of as an characteristic of the individual. In this episode, I tell my story and explore the idea of grace at the organizational level.

Works Referenced:

Bailey, J. (2017, June 1). A state of organizational grace: Why confession is a healthy organizational practice. Psychology Today.

Buono, A. F. (1997, August). When the Client Dies: Reflecting on the Personal and Professional Ramifications of a Sudden Tragedy. In Academy of Management Proceedings (Vol. 1997, No. 1, 232-236).