Leading Through Loss

Leading Through Loss offers a deeply personal and transformative look at how grief reshapes leadership, resilience, and human connection. In this presentation, listeners will walk alongside me as I faced the unimaginable loss of my son and emerged with a renewed understanding of what it truly means to lead. Through authentic storytelling and reflection, attendees will explore how vulnerability, empathy, and self-awareness can transform leadership from a position of authority into one of service and compassion.

The session provides practical insight into balancing professional responsibilities while navigating personal hardship, emphasizing the importance of creating compassionate, flexible workplaces that support employees through life’s most difficult seasons. Leaders will learn how grief can become a catalyst for growth—fostering emotional intelligence, authentic communication, and stronger, more connected teams. This presentation isn’t about overcoming pain, but about embracing it as part of the human experience. It invites leaders to find strength in vulnerability, to support others through shared challenges, and to redefine resilience—not as the absence of hardship, but as the courage to continue leading with empathy and purpose in its midst. 

Continuing education credits available: Nursing Home Administrator and Social Work

Presenter: Bob Hagen, Director of Clinic Operations, Sanford Health 

Presented: May 21, 2026