When someone on your team faces loss, good intentions aren't enough
When your team member experiences bereavement, divorce, illness, or a major life transition, you need systematic frameworks—not just compassion—to support them effectively while maintaining team performance.
Every year, roughly 1 in 10 of your team members will face major loss—the death of a family member, divorce, serious illness, or significant life transition. When it happens, you're suddenly responsible for supporting them through their most vulnerable moment while maintaining team performance.
Many leaders handle this through instinct and guesswork. You say what feels right, adjust work as best you can, and hope it's enough.
But grief isn't just emotional—it's neurobiological. Research shows it creates measurable cognitive impairment lasting 6-12 months: compromised decision-making, reduced processing speed, and decision fatigue that hits 40% faster than normal.
Without understanding what's actually happening, well-intentioned support often makes things worse.
Need more comprehensive support? If you're looking for systematic development support capabilities, I offer executive coaching programs focused on these exact challenges. Schedule a discovery call to discuss whether coaching would be helpful for your situation.
Get the Free 7-Email Course
Supporting Colleagues Through Grief
Over two weeks, you'll receive seven research-backed emails that transform how you support team members experiencing loss.
You'll learn:
What grief actually does to work performance (it's measurable cognitive impairment, not just sadness)
The specific phrases that help versus hurt (your instincts are probably wrong)
Realistic recovery timelines (hint: it's 6-12 months, not days)
How to support someone effectively in remote environments
When peer support is enough versus when professional help is needed
Practical frameworks you can use immediately
Each email takes 3-4 minutes to read and provides immediately actionable guidance backed by research on grief recovery in workplace contexts.
Who I Am and Why I Can Help
I'm Matthew Stublefield, and I've spent 20+ years leading product and technology teams across diverse industries—technology, healthcare, education, manufacturing, media, and finance.
What makes me uniquely qualified to help with grief in the workplace is the combination of extensive leadership experience with specialized training in grief counseling. I understand both the operational demands of leading product teams AND the neurobiological realities of how grief affects decision-making, risk assessment, and leadership capacity.
20+ years leading teams from 2 to 400 people across multiple industries
10+ years in product management and technology leadership roles
Grief Counselor Professional (GC-P) certification through the American Institute of Health Care Professionals
Master of Science in Project Management (MSPM) with emphasis in conflict and dispute resolution
Consistent track record of helping teams achieve 2-3x productivity improvements through systematic leadership development
I've personally navigated leading teams through organizational change, personal loss, and the complex human dynamics that arise when grief enters the workplace. The systematic frameworks I teach aren't just theory—they're proven approaches that work across different organizational cultures and leadership contexts.
Most importantly, I understand that grief isn't something you "fix" or "get over." It's something you learn to navigate while maintaining your effectiveness as a leader and protecting your team's wellbeing.
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Springfield, Missouri, USA
© 2025 Fieldway - All Rights Reserved