Corporate Grief: The change management step you’re skipping
A few months ago, I was coaching a senior leader who had just delivered a difficult restructuring message. On paper, everything made sense; but she felt stuck. “I know what I need to do,” she said, “but I feel like I’m in quicksand.”
It wasn’t decision fatigue. It wasn’t burnout. It was grief.
Corporate Grief, to be exact.
It’s a term I’ve coined after coaching senior leaders who are navigating organizational change. While many strategies focus on execution, I kept seeing the same thing: plans stall (or even worse fail) not because of a lack of vision or strategy, but because of an unacknowledged emotional undercurrent. Leaders, in particular, are expected to steer transitions while privately carrying the losses, and delivering messages they didn’t write. When that grief goes unaddressed, the change doesn’t land as intended. And in the current climate where economic instability is forcing layoffs, restructurings, and relentless pressure to do more with less, this quiet weight is everywhere.
When the Loss Is Yours to Lead
There’s a distinct complexity to leading change you didn’t choose. I’ve coached executives through government cuts, nonprofit consolidations, tech pivots, and values-driven shifts that no longer aligned with internal realities. You’re expected to model composure, motivate teams, and make difficult decisions; even when part of you is still grieving the organization you helped build. You may have lost valued colleagues, a beloved way of working, an idea of what should have been, or the identity you once held in a role. But because you're leading others through the transition, there’s little room to reflect on what ended for you.
Corporate grief lives in that tension. It embeds itself quietly; in how you show up, how you communicate, how others respond. Over time, it clouds leadership presence, slows decision-making, and weakens performance.
What Corporate Grief Looks Like in Practice
If you’re a leader and this resonates, here’s how corporate grief may be showing up:
You’re stuck in planning mode but can’t bring yourself to act
You find yourself distracted, irritable, or disengaged in meetings
You’re avoiding important conversations
You feel disconnected from the next phase of work
You silently wonder if you’re still the right person to lead what’s next
These aren’t personal shortcomings. They’re signals that something meaningful ended, and it hasn’t been processed. Once acknowledged, they can become turning points for deeper clarity and impact.
Corporate grief and burnout shouldn’t be confused for one another as they stem from different sources and present differently. Corporate grief arises from a meaningful loss of people, purpose, or identity. Burnout, however, results from prolonged stress and overload. Corporate grief slows leaders down; burnout depletes them physically and mentally. Addressing corporate grief requires reflection, integration and action. Recovering from burnout demands rest, rebalancing, and at times medical interventions; but both must be named to be effectively addressed.
Why It Matters More Than Ever
Organizations are in flux. Stable sectors are restructuring. Funding is uncertain. Teams are thin. Leaders are tired. And yet, there’s a collective expectation to deliver quickly, cleanly, without emotional noise. We talk about resilience and agility. But without space to grieve what’s ending, those words lose traction because performance doesn’t thrive in suppressed environments. When leaders create space to name their own grief, they shift from reacting to leading. When grief is acknowledged (not just by those affected by change, but by those leading it) sustainable transformation becomes possible.
What Leaders Can Do (Starting with Themselves)
If you’re in the middle of a major change, start here:
Acknowledge what you’ve lost. This might be people, purpose, identity, autonomy, or a particular rhythm or culture. Name it.
Don’t bypass the emotional cost. You don’t need to dwell, but you do need to pause. Witness what has shifted, and speak with a therapist if you want to.
Use a structured reflection. I often ask clients “What would need to happen so you can look back at this period of time without regret or guilt?” This creates perspective and a starting point.
Seek out a space where you don’t need to be “on.” That might be with an ICF accredited coach, a trusted peer, or your own journal. Let integration happen without expectation. If seeking a coach, I recommend ICF accredited coaches as coaching is an unregulated profession, and anyone can call themselves a coach. The ICF was created to provide the only internationally recognized standard in coaching; inclusive of ethics, core competencies, and standards of practice. Those of us who are ICF accredited need to pass rigorous training and exams.
From Grief to Momentum
Once leaders acknowledge what has been lost, space opens for decision-making to become sharper and conversations to become more honest. This inevitably allows for trust to return. Teams feel grounded again because leadership feels grounded again. Corporate grief is not a vulnerability, but should instead be seen as the foundational element of effective change management practices. When ignored, it undermines even the best strategies. When named and moved through, it becomes a foundation for clarity, credibility, and connection. If the weight of leading through change feels heavier than it “should”—you’re not failing. You’re grieving. And naming it may be the most strategic thing you do next.