THE 5 STAGES OF BUSINESS GRIEF ACCEPTING THE UNACCEPTABLE By Kym Krey
We usually relate stages of grief to dealing with the devastating loss of someone dear, or maybe a serious and unexpected diagnosis or injury, however after experiencing the last 2 years I’m sure we can all relate to the sense of grief and loss in business. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified the 5 stages of grief commonly accepted today in her book On Death and Dying and explains the grief process that we experience when faced with catastrophic personal loss. Those five stages are: • Denial • Anger • Bargaining • Depression • Acceptance When we look at these more closely, it’s uncanny how similar the process has been for so many business owners navigating through the calamity that has been Covid-19 and I feel there is much that we can learn from this model to support us as we continue to adapt to a future we possibly never saw coming. 108
Hair Biz Year 16 Issue 4
THE 5 STAGES OF BUSINESS GRIEF
Just like personal crisis, these 5 stages of business grief are related to loss. No doubt, this included financial loss, however, it can also have been loss of treasured long-term clients or long-term trusted staff, loss of the lifestyle you had worked so hard to build, loss of the savings you had so diligently put aside, or for some, sadly even loss of their entire business. Whilst we’ll all progress through the grief cycle at our own pace, for business owners, there are other things at play. Other responsibilities, other commitments, other pressures, other people’s livelihoods that are constantly on our minds. And because these pressures often continue to build, the longer it takes us to arrive at the final stage of acceptance and forward action, the more it’s going to hurt for business owners.
Stage 1 – Denial
In denial, the first stage of business grief, we can’t believe what is unfolding and don’t want to accept that it is actually happening to us! This wasn’t how it was meant to be. This wasn’t what you’d be planning for, working for, dreaming of.
We often shut out reality by telling ourselves it will all be OK. If I just wait… see what happens…. but essentially do nothing… it will hopefully resolve itself and go back to normal. Because that’s what we crave… normal. We convince ourselves that this is just temporary. It won’t last or it won’t affect us. It may affect others, it might be on the news, but surely it can’t affect me! Hopefully it will all just blow over. Some will go to great lengths to seek out information to back up their theory… to find comfort and reassurance in others confirming their view. Of course, we all find ourselves in this stage. It’s only human. However… what we’re not doing while we’re fighting hard to ignore it is actually dealing with the problem.
Stage 2 – Anger
When we’ve spent a period of time in denial, but then realised that it is actually happening, the delayed reaction we experience fuels a sense of anger. We start to play the blame game. Whose fault is this? Who is going to take the rap? Why aren’t the politicians doing something to help me? Who’s going to pay my bills? Why isn’t my landlord more supportive? How was I
