Leading Through Loss: The Oxygen Mask Principle for Executive Leadership

In a season when loss is no longer an exception but a constant, leaders can’t rely on grit alone—they need practices that protect their capacity. Leading Through Loss brings candid, experience-based insight from five senior advancement and external affairs leaders on the hidden weight they carry, the conditioning that pushes them to put themselves last, and the real signals that show up when “fine” isn’t fine anymore. Grounded in the Oxygen Mask Principle, this white paper offers a practical framework for sustaining clarity, steadiness and trust—so leaders can keep showing up for their teams and institutions without losing themselves in the process.