September 15, 2025 • 15 mins
When national tragedy strikes, leaders don’t have the luxury of silence.
In this episode of Things Leaders Do, Colby Morris reflects on the assassination of Charlie Kirk at Utah Valley University and what it reveals about the role of leaders during moments of crisis.
This conversation isn’t about politics. It’s about leadership. It’s about how you show up when your team is already processing fear, anger, confusion—and yes, sometimes celebration.
In this episode, we cover:
- Why silence in the face of political violence isn’t neutrality—it’s complicity
- The difference between political posturing and human leadership
- Practical steps for addressing tragedy with your team while staying rooted in your organization’s values
- The hard truth about protecting culture when toxic responses to violence show up inside your workplace
- How leaders can create psychological safety and protect trust in the aftermath of tragedy
Leadership gets tested in moments like these. The way you respond shapes not only your culture today but the trust your people will have in you tomorrow.
If you’re struggling with how to navigate these conversations, Colby is available for executive coaching, organizational consulting, and leadership training at nxtstepadvisors.com
. You can also connect with him directly on LinkedIn
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
People First.
Leadership, actionablestrategies, real results this is
Things Leaders Do with ColbyMorris.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Two days ago, or, as you were hearing this, probably
about a week ago, charlie Kirkwas assassinated while speaking
at Utah Valley University.
A single shot from a rooftop, ayoung conservative voice
silenced by political violence.
I'm going to be honest with you.
(00:32):
This one hit me hard, not justbecause I knew Charlie's word,
but because of what thisrepresents for our country.
I fear we've crossed a linethat we can't.
I fear we've crossed a linethat we can't uncross.
Political assassination isn'tsomething that happens in
(00:52):
healthy democracies, and as Iprocessed this tragedy, I kept
thinking about something.
Right now, in boardrooms andbreak rooms across America, your
people are talking about this,they're processing it, they're
scared, they're angry, they'reconfused.
Some are celebrating, and thatshould terrify you.
(01:16):
The question isn't whether yourteam is discussing national
tragedies.
The question is whether you'releading them through it.
Hey leaders, this is Colby, andtoday we're talking about one
of the hardest parts ofleadership how to respond when
(01:36):
the world feels like it'sfalling apart, when tragedy
strikes, when the very fabric ofcivil discourse is being torn
apart by violence.
Because here's what nobodytells you about people-first
leadership.
Sometimes leading people meanswalking directly into the
uncomfortable, the political,the controversial, because your
(02:01):
people are already there andthey need you to show up.
Let me just be clear aboutsomething there is no neutral
ground when it comes topolitical violence in America.
When someone is murdered fortheir beliefs whether they're
conservative, liberal oranything in between silence
(02:21):
isn't neutrality, it'scomplicity.
Your team is watching.
They're watching to see if youhave the courage to call evil
what it is.
They're watching to see ifyou'll stand up for basic human
decency.
They're watching to see if yourpeople-first leadership
philosophy actually meanssomething when it gets tested.
(02:43):
And make no mistake, this is atest.
When Charlie Kirk was gunneddown for speaking his mind,
every leader in America gotpresented with the choice
Address it or ignore it.
Leave from the front or hidebehind corporate policies about
staying out of politics.
But here's what thosestay-out-of-politics leaders
(03:07):
don't understand.
Your people are already in it.
They're already processing thistragedy through their own
political lens, their own fears,their own biases.
The conversation is happening,whether you join it or not.
Recent research from Edelmanshows that 67% of employees
expect their leadership to speakout on societal issues,
(03:30):
especially when they impactworkplace culture and safety.
Your silence doesn't protectyou.
It isolates you when you don'taddress national tragedies that
are dominating the culturalconversation.
You create a vacuum and thatvacuum it gets filled by whoever
(03:51):
has the strongest opinion andthe loudest voice, whether that
person has your organization'sbest interests at heart or not.
Now I'm not telling you to turnyour Monday team meeting into a
political rally.
There's a crucial differencebetween taking a political
stance and showing humanleadership.
(04:11):
A political stance is this iswhy Charlie Kirk's politics were
right or wrong.
Human leadership says this iswhy violence against people for
their beliefs is always wrong.
A political stance says here'swho we should vote for, but
human leadership says here's howwe're going to ensure everyone
(04:33):
on this team feels safe toexpress their views.
A political stance says thisparty is better than that party.
Human leadership says says thiskind of violence tears apart
the very foundation of civilsociety.
See the difference.
One divides your team alongpartisan lines.
(04:54):
The other unites your teamaround shared human values,
values like the right to speakwithout fear of being killed.
When I talk about addressingCharlie Kirk's assassination,
I'm not asking you to endorsehis political views.
I'm asking you to condemn theuse of violence to silence
opposing viewpoints.
That's not political, that'smoral.
(05:16):
And if you can't stand up andsay that, murdering people for
their beliefs is wrong, then youhave no business leading other
human beings.
So how does this actually looklike in practice?
How do you address somethinglike Charlie Kirk's
assassination without turningyour workplace into a political
background?
Well, first you need toacknowledge the elephant in the
(05:40):
room and do it quickly anddirectly.
Don't wait for someone else tobring it up.
Don't hope it goes away.
Address it in your next teammeeting.
Look, I know everyone's beenprocessing the tragedy in Utah.
I want to take a few minutes totalk about it as a team and
then, second, frame it aroundyour organizational values, not
(06:04):
political positions.
Look, one of our core values isrespect for all people.
What happened to Charlie Kirkviolates that value in the most
extreme way possible.
We believe people should beable to express their views
without fear of violence.
Third, I want you to createspace for people to process, but
(06:25):
set clear boundaries.
But set clear boundaries.
I know people have differentpolitical views and that's okay.
But what's not okay iscelebrating violence against
people we disagree with.
What's not okay is using thistragedy to attack each other.
(06:48):
And then, fourth, be authenticabout the impact.
Don't try to be the stoicemotionalist leader.
Okay, if this tragedy affectsyou.
Say so, hey guys.
This hit me hard because itrepresents something dangerous
happening in our country.
It makes me concerned about thekind of society we're creating
for our kids.
And then, fifth, connect it toyour workplace culture.
This is exactly why we work sohard to create an environment
(07:11):
where people can disagreerespectfully.
This is why we don't toleratepersonal attacks or attempts to
silence opposing viewpoints.
All right, now here is where Ineed to get really direct with
you.
You may or may not like thispart, and I understand, but hear
(07:34):
me, if you have people in yourorganization who are celebrating
this death, if you haveemployees who think murder is an
acceptable response to apolitical disagreement, you have
a cancer that will destroy yourculture.
I don't care what theirpolitics are, I don't care if
they're the best performer inyour team, I don't care if
(07:54):
they've been with the companyfor 20 years.
If someone on your team iscelebrating the assassination of
another human being becausethey didn't like their political
views, that person needs to go,not for their political beliefs
you can have conservatives andliberals and everything in
between on your team but fortheir character, for their
(08:15):
complete lack of basic humandecency, for their willingness
to dehumanize people theydisagree with to the point where
they celebrate their murder.
This isn't about left versusright.
This is about right versuswrong, and if you can't see the
difference, you have no businessbuilding a people-first culture
(08:37):
.
I've seen what happens whenleaders tolerate this kind of
toxic thinking.
It spreads and metastasizes.
It turns your workplace into aplace where people are afraid to
express their views, afraid todisagree, afraid to be authentic
about who they are.
Your job as a leader isn't tomake everyone agree.
Your job is to make everyonesafe to disagree.
(09:00):
And if you can't do that, whenyou've got people on your team
who think violence is anacceptable form of political
discourse, you see where I'mgoing.
The hardest part about tragedieslike Charlie Kirk's
assassination isn't the initialresponse.
It's leading through theaftermath, because this kind of
(09:24):
violence doesn't just impact theimmediate victims, it impacts
the entire culture.
Right now there areconservative voices in your
organization who are scared.
They're wondering if it's safeto express their views.
They're questioning whetherspeaking up about their beliefs
might make them a target, whilethey would never commit violence
(09:47):
themselves, might be privatelythinking that Charlie deserved
it, or some messed up view likethat, because his views may have
been, in their eyes,controversial.
These people are dangerous toyour culture in a different way.
They're normalizing violencethrough justification.
(10:08):
Your job is to address bothgroups with equal clarity.
To the people who are scared,you need to say we will not
tolerate any form ofintimidation or violence based
on political beliefs.
Your safety is ourresponsibility and we take that
seriously.
And then to the people who arejustifying look, there is no
(10:32):
political view so wrong that itjustifies murder.
There is no speech so offensivethat it deserves a violent
response.
If you can't understand thatbasic principle, you don't
belong here.
This is where people-firstleadership gets tested.
It's easy to care about peoplewhen they all agree with each
(10:52):
other, but it's hard to careabout people when they have
fundamental disagreements aboutpolitics, values and worldview.
But that's exactly when yourleadership matters most.
So here's what you need to dothis week.
I'm going to be specific,because this is too important
for vague suggestions.
(11:13):
First, have the conversation.
Don't wait for the right timeor the perfect words.
Address Charlie Kirk'sassassination within your team.
Acknowledge that it happened,express your genuine reaction
and reinforce yourorganizational values around
human dignity and safety.
Second, I want you to audityour team's response.
(11:36):
Pay attention to how peoplereact when you bring this up.
Watch for signs of celebrationor justification or indifference
to violence.
It's red flags that needimmediate attention.
And then, third, reinforce yourcommitment to psychological
safety.
Make it clear that people candisagree politically without
(11:58):
fear of retribution, but alsomake it clear that dehumanizing
language and celebration ofviolence are unacceptable.
And fourth, document everything.
If you discover that someone onyour team is celebrating this
or expressing support forpolitical violence, document it.
This isn't about politics, thisis about character, and
(12:19):
character issues need to beaddressed through your normal HR
processes.
And then, fifth I hate this.
I hate this.
Prepare for the next one.
I hate this.
I hate this.
Prepare for the next oneBecause sadly and I'm not
(12:42):
wishing this y'all, but therecould be a next one Political
violence in America is becomingnormalized and you need to be
ready to respond quickly anddecisively when it happens again
.
Charlie Kirk was 31 years old.
He had his whole life ahead ofhim.
He was murdered for the crimeof having conservative political
views and being willing toexpress them publicly.
(13:06):
If that doesn't break yourheart and make you angry, I
don't know what to say to you.
And if you think your job as aleader is to stay neutral about
murder.
You're not a leader.
You're a bystander.
The people in your team arelooking to you for guidance, for
(13:30):
clarity, for courage.
They want to know that theirleader has the moral backbone to
call evil what it is.
They want to know that you'llstand up for basic human decency
, even when it's uncomfortable.
Political violence is a canceron democracy.
It's a poison that destroyscivil discourse.
It's a threat to every Americanwho believes in the power of
(13:52):
ideas over the power of bullets.
As leaders, we have aresponsibility to condemn it
unequivocally.
We have a responsibility toprotect the people in our care.
We have a responsibility tobuild cultures where
disagreement is welcome, butviolence is never tolerated.
Disagreement is welcome, butviolence is never tolerated.
(14:12):
If you're struggling with how tonavigate these conversations
with your team, I'm here to help.
Reach out to me on LinkedIn oron my website or whatever.
Let me help you navigate theseconversations, especially if you
have some sensitive issues thatneed to be addressed.
Next week, I will be back withmore practical leader insights,
(14:33):
but right now I need you to gohave the hard conversations with
your team, because someone inyour organization is processing
this tragedy and they need toknow where you stand.
Thank you for listening to thepodcast.
Again, I'm colby.
Keep standing up for humandignity, okay, protecting your
(14:53):
people from violence andbuilding cultures where ideas
matter more than bullets.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader,
be sure to subscribe to thepodcast and listen to next
week's episode.
Until next time, keep workingon being a better leader by
doing the things that leaders do.
People First.
Leadership, actionablestrategies, real results this is
Things Leaders Do with ColbyMorris.
Speaker 2 (00:11):
Two days ago, or, as you were hearing this, probably
about a week ago, charlie Kirkwas assassinated while speaking
at Utah Valley University.
A single shot from a rooftop, ayoung conservative voice
silenced by political violence.
I'm going to be honest with you.
(00:32):
This one hit me hard, not justbecause I knew Charlie's word,
but because of what thisrepresents for our country.
I fear we've crossed a linethat we can't.
I fear we've crossed a linethat we can't uncross.
Political assassination isn'tsomething that happens in
(00:52):
healthy democracies, and as Iprocessed this tragedy, I kept
thinking about something.
Right now, in boardrooms andbreak rooms across America, your
people are talking about this,they're processing it, they're
scared, they're angry, they'reconfused.
Some are celebrating, and thatshould terrify you.
(01:16):
The question isn't whether yourteam is discussing national
tragedies.
The question is whether you'releading them through it.
Hey leaders, this is Colby, andtoday we're talking about one
of the hardest parts ofleadership how to respond when
(01:36):
the world feels like it'sfalling apart, when tragedy
strikes, when the very fabric ofcivil discourse is being torn
apart by violence.
Because here's what nobodytells you about people-first
leadership.
Sometimes leading people meanswalking directly into the
uncomfortable, the political,the controversial, because your
(02:01):
people are already there andthey need you to show up.
Let me just be clear aboutsomething there is no neutral
ground when it comes topolitical violence in America.
When someone is murdered fortheir beliefs whether they're
conservative, liberal oranything in between silence
(02:21):
isn't neutrality, it'scomplicity.
Your team is watching.
They're watching to see if youhave the courage to call evil
what it is.
They're watching to see ifyou'll stand up for basic human
decency.
They're watching to see if yourpeople-first leadership
philosophy actually meanssomething when it gets tested.
(02:43):
And make no mistake, this is atest.
When Charlie Kirk was gunneddown for speaking his mind,
every leader in America gotpresented with the choice
Address it or ignore it.
Leave from the front or hidebehind corporate policies about
staying out of politics.
But here's what thosestay-out-of-politics leaders
(03:07):
don't understand.
Your people are already in it.
They're already processing thistragedy through their own
political lens, their own fears,their own biases.
The conversation is happening,whether you join it or not.
Recent research from Edelmanshows that 67% of employees
expect their leadership to speakout on societal issues,
(03:30):
especially when they impactworkplace culture and safety.
Your silence doesn't protectyou.
It isolates you when you don'taddress national tragedies that
are dominating the culturalconversation.
You create a vacuum and thatvacuum it gets filled by whoever
(03:51):
has the strongest opinion andthe loudest voice, whether that
person has your organization'sbest interests at heart or not.
Now I'm not telling you to turnyour Monday team meeting into a
political rally.
There's a crucial differencebetween taking a political
stance and showing humanleadership.
(04:11):
A political stance is this iswhy Charlie Kirk's politics were
right or wrong.
Human leadership says this iswhy violence against people for
their beliefs is always wrong.
A political stance says here'swho we should vote for, but
human leadership says here's howwe're going to ensure everyone
(04:33):
on this team feels safe toexpress their views.
A political stance says thisparty is better than that party.
Human leadership says says thiskind of violence tears apart
the very foundation of civilsociety.
See the difference.
One divides your team alongpartisan lines.
(04:54):
The other unites your teamaround shared human values,
values like the right to speakwithout fear of being killed.
When I talk about addressingCharlie Kirk's assassination,
I'm not asking you to endorsehis political views.
I'm asking you to condemn theuse of violence to silence
opposing viewpoints.
That's not political, that'smoral.
(05:16):
And if you can't stand up andsay that, murdering people for
their beliefs is wrong, then youhave no business leading other
human beings.
So how does this actually looklike in practice?
How do you address somethinglike Charlie Kirk's
assassination without turningyour workplace into a political
background?
Well, first you need toacknowledge the elephant in the
(05:40):
room and do it quickly anddirectly.
Don't wait for someone else tobring it up.
Don't hope it goes away.
Address it in your next teammeeting.
Look, I know everyone's beenprocessing the tragedy in Utah.
I want to take a few minutes totalk about it as a team and
then, second, frame it aroundyour organizational values, not
(06:04):
political positions.
Look, one of our core values isrespect for all people.
What happened to Charlie Kirkviolates that value in the most
extreme way possible.
We believe people should beable to express their views
without fear of violence.
Third, I want you to createspace for people to process, but
(06:25):
set clear boundaries.
But set clear boundaries.
I know people have differentpolitical views and that's okay.
But what's not okay iscelebrating violence against
people we disagree with.
What's not okay is using thistragedy to attack each other.
(06:48):
And then, fourth, be authenticabout the impact.
Don't try to be the stoicemotionalist leader.
Okay, if this tragedy affectsyou.
Say so, hey guys.
This hit me hard because itrepresents something dangerous
happening in our country.
It makes me concerned about thekind of society we're creating
for our kids.
And then, fifth, connect it toyour workplace culture.
This is exactly why we work sohard to create an environment
(07:11):
where people can disagreerespectfully.
This is why we don't toleratepersonal attacks or attempts to
silence opposing viewpoints.
All right, now here is where Ineed to get really direct with
you.
You may or may not like thispart, and I understand, but hear
(07:34):
me, if you have people in yourorganization who are celebrating
this death, if you haveemployees who think murder is an
acceptable response to apolitical disagreement, you have
a cancer that will destroy yourculture.
I don't care what theirpolitics are, I don't care if
they're the best performer inyour team, I don't care if
(07:54):
they've been with the companyfor 20 years.
If someone on your team iscelebrating the assassination of
another human being becausethey didn't like their political
views, that person needs to go,not for their political beliefs
you can have conservatives andliberals and everything in
between on your team but fortheir character, for their
(08:15):
complete lack of basic humandecency, for their willingness
to dehumanize people theydisagree with to the point where
they celebrate their murder.
This isn't about left versusright.
This is about right versuswrong, and if you can't see the
difference, you have no businessbuilding a people-first culture
(08:37):
.
I've seen what happens whenleaders tolerate this kind of
toxic thinking.
It spreads and metastasizes.
It turns your workplace into aplace where people are afraid to
express their views, afraid todisagree, afraid to be authentic
about who they are.
Your job as a leader isn't tomake everyone agree.
Your job is to make everyonesafe to disagree.
(09:00):
And if you can't do that, whenyou've got people on your team
who think violence is anacceptable form of political
discourse, you see where I'mgoing.
The hardest part about tragedieslike Charlie Kirk's
assassination isn't the initialresponse.
It's leading through theaftermath, because this kind of
(09:24):
violence doesn't just impact theimmediate victims, it impacts
the entire culture.
Right now there areconservative voices in your
organization who are scared.
They're wondering if it's safeto express their views.
They're questioning whetherspeaking up about their beliefs
might make them a target, whilethey would never commit violence
(09:47):
themselves, might be privatelythinking that Charlie deserved
it, or some messed up view likethat, because his views may have
been, in their eyes,controversial.
These people are dangerous toyour culture in a different way.
They're normalizing violencethrough justification.
(10:08):
Your job is to address bothgroups with equal clarity.
To the people who are scared,you need to say we will not
tolerate any form ofintimidation or violence based
on political beliefs.
Your safety is ourresponsibility and we take that
seriously.
And then to the people who arejustifying look, there is no
(10:32):
political view so wrong that itjustifies murder.
There is no speech so offensivethat it deserves a violent
response.
If you can't understand thatbasic principle, you don't
belong here.
This is where people-firstleadership gets tested.
It's easy to care about peoplewhen they all agree with each
(10:52):
other, but it's hard to careabout people when they have
fundamental disagreements aboutpolitics, values and worldview.
But that's exactly when yourleadership matters most.
So here's what you need to dothis week.
I'm going to be specific,because this is too important
for vague suggestions.
(11:13):
First, have the conversation.
Don't wait for the right timeor the perfect words.
Address Charlie Kirk'sassassination within your team.
Acknowledge that it happened,express your genuine reaction
and reinforce yourorganizational values around
human dignity and safety.
Second, I want you to audityour team's response.
(11:36):
Pay attention to how peoplereact when you bring this up.
Watch for signs of celebrationor justification or indifference
to violence.
It's red flags that needimmediate attention.
And then, third, reinforce yourcommitment to psychological
safety.
Make it clear that people candisagree politically without
(11:58):
fear of retribution, but alsomake it clear that dehumanizing
language and celebration ofviolence are unacceptable.
And fourth, document everything.
If you discover that someone onyour team is celebrating this
or expressing support forpolitical violence, document it.
This isn't about politics, thisis about character, and
(12:19):
character issues need to beaddressed through your normal HR
processes.
And then, fifth I hate this.
I hate this.
Prepare for the next one.
I hate this.
I hate this.
Prepare for the next oneBecause sadly and I'm not
(12:42):
wishing this y'all, but therecould be a next one Political
violence in America is becomingnormalized and you need to be
ready to respond quickly anddecisively when it happens again
.
Charlie Kirk was 31 years old.
He had his whole life ahead ofhim.
He was murdered for the crimeof having conservative political
views and being willing toexpress them publicly.
(13:06):
If that doesn't break yourheart and make you angry, I
don't know what to say to you.
And if you think your job as aleader is to stay neutral about
murder.
You're not a leader.
You're a bystander.
The people in your team arelooking to you for guidance, for
(13:30):
clarity, for courage.
They want to know that theirleader has the moral backbone to
call evil what it is.
They want to know that you'llstand up for basic human decency
, even when it's uncomfortable.
Political violence is a canceron democracy.
It's a poison that destroyscivil discourse.
It's a threat to every Americanwho believes in the power of
(13:52):
ideas over the power of bullets.
As leaders, we have aresponsibility to condemn it
unequivocally.
We have a responsibility toprotect the people in our care.
We have a responsibility tobuild cultures where
disagreement is welcome, butviolence is never tolerated.
Disagreement is welcome, butviolence is never tolerated.
(14:12):
If you're struggling with how tonavigate these conversations
with your team, I'm here to help.
Reach out to me on LinkedIn oron my website or whatever.
Let me help you navigate theseconversations, especially if you
have some sensitive issues thatneed to be addressed.
Next week, I will be back withmore practical leader insights,
(14:33):
but right now I need you to gohave the hard conversations with
your team, because someone inyour organization is processing
this tragedy and they need toknow where you stand.
Thank you for listening to thepodcast.
Again, I'm colby.
Keep standing up for humandignity, okay, protecting your
(14:53):
people from violence andbuilding cultures where ideas
matter more than bullets.
And you know why?
Because those are the thingsthat leaders do.
Speaker 1 (15:08):
Thank you for listening to Things Leaders Do.
If you're looking for more tipson how to be a better leader,
be sure to subscribe to thepodcast and listen to next
week's episode.
Until next time, keep workingon being a better leader by
doing the things that leaders do.
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