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Leaders tend to bifurcate, going to one extreme or the other. Some become hyper-competent but emotionally disconnected. Others display overwhelming empathy without direction.

Crisis response expert Jeff Gorter reveals that effective leadership during traumatic events requires a delicate balance of compassion and competence. Drawing from his experience responding to organizational crises at R3 Continuum, Jeff explains why some leaders falter while others shine during critical moments.

The conversation explores our unprecedented era of "cascading collective crises" – a succession of traumatic events without adequate processing time between them. Unlike previous generations who might hear about distant disasters days or weeks later, today's technology delivers every tragedy in real time, often re-traumatizing us through repeated exposure. This constant barrage disrupts our essential human need to make sense of difficult experiences.

Particularly illuminating is Jeff's insight about how we interpret our trauma responses. When facing a crisis, our bodies naturally engage survival mechanisms – fight, flight, or freeze responses hardwired into our brains. The difference between prolonged suffering and recovery often lies in recognizing these reactions as normal human responses rather than personal failures. "It's not that I'm broken," he explains, "I'm simply having a bad case of being human."

Despite the challenges we face, hope persists. We don't get to pick when crisis happens, but we do get to choose how we respond. That choice defines our path to recovery.

Jeff Gorter, MSW, LCSW, is VP of Clinical Crisis Response Services at R3 Continuum. He brings over 30 years of clinical experience including consultation and extensive on-site critical incident response to businesses and communities. He has responded directly to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Hurricane Katrina, the earthquake/tsunami in Japan, the Las Vegas Shooting, the breaching of the US Capitol, the 2023 Hawaii Wildfires, the 2024 Asheville Floods, and the 2025 DC Aviation Disaster, among others.

You can learn more about R3 Continuum on its website R3c.com. And learn more about Jeff on LinkedIn or contact him via email: jeff.gorter@r3c.com

Go to https://betterhelp.com/resilience or click Notes on Resilience during sign up for 10% off your first month of therapy with my sponsor BetterHelp.

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Producer / Editor: Neel Panji

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