Psychological safety is an increasing common phrase used when discussing the effectiveness of a team. The term was first coined by Amy Edmondson (Harvard) in 1999, and means "an absence of interpersonal fear". When present, people feel safe to share ideas, try new things, test, and even fail as they experiment in finding more effective ways. 89% of colleagues say it is essential for a healthy and productive workplace (Mckinsey) - maybe the other 11% just left! Julia Rozovsky, people analytics manager at Google, stated "there are five key dynamics that set successful teams apart from other teams at Google - Psychological Safety is far and away the most important".
I don't think it's overstating it to say that creating psychological safety is crucial to the success of your team. As a leader you have the privilege and responsibility to set the tone for your team and organisation. Your mood casts a spell with the ease of wielding a magic wand - when you interact with others, whether intentionally or not, you create an impact. If you are having a bad day, chances are you are infecting your team with that negativity. Just like a cougher with Covid, trust me - your mood is contagious! On a scale 1-10, where would you benchmark your team today for psychological safety - would your perception be the same as theirs - and is it where you both want it to be? Do people feel motivated and engaged as a result of interacting with you - are they keen to welcome you to their team sessions, open and honest without fear of judgement? Or do they avoid eye contact, minimise what they share, drained by their perceived risk of the interaction and relieved their turn is over for the foreseeable...! Does the smell of fresh paint and sanitised spreadsheets greet you everywhere you go, does silence descend as you walk by - that may be a clue!
How conscious are you of how you are showing up? I often think back to a role I held a number of years ago, where a new Managing Director was appointed. After his initial "Roadshow" setting the tone for colleagues, where he made it very clear that he would be making "changes", he would appear in our local office every 6 weeks or so to meet with the Regional Manager. He would arrive with his long black coat flapping behind him, march through the office to the regional Managers desk, and they would both disappear into a closed office for a couple of hours - then they would reappear and out he would march again. I swear I could hear the Darth Vader theme tune every time he arrived, and I would go to great lengths to be out on customer visits on the days he was due. Of course - very little work was actually done on the days preceding his visit or those following it - colleagues were far to busy speculating on why he was coming, what these changes were going to be, how and when they would impact us etc, to actually do any work!
Fast forward a year and you can imagine my "delight" when I discovered on the annual conference seating plan that I was to be sitting next to this individual for the full day! When I challenged my colleague who organised that one, I was sheepishly told "you are the most likely one in the team to be able to keep a conversation going with him" - thanks for that! Well - much to my surprise over the course of the day, Darth Vader turned out to be both human and engaging. And much to my colleagues' surprise, on Darth's next office visit, he stopped by my desk, said hello, used my name, and asked how my week was going!
Over time, everyone's' perception of this individual changed for the better. He occasionally joined our smaller team meetings and when we gradually trusted that he wasn't going to produce a Light saber, we opened up about local challenges, allowing him to get closer to the work - and we valued his input.
I never did get brave enough to tell good old Mr V about his impact over that first year. It may have been an intentional strategy on his part :- stay dis-engaged whilst gathering sufficient data, perhaps he thought he was sharpening our motivation through fear of unknown. But I think it is more likely that he just did not think about it - he didn't pause to consider the impact he had. A natural introvert, he was focussed on what he needed to achieve when he visited, and team interaction wasn't on his to-do list for that day - he had spoken to us at the roadshow, what need was there to speak to us on subsequent visits? But what difference could it have made to psychological safety and productivity if he just taken an extra few minutes on his way through the office to stop and say hello to a couple of people he passed? What could he have learned, simply by showing an interest in what work they were focussed on? How would the individuals feel, to be noticed? How could he have reduced fear and speculation (and the associated stress and waste of time that accompanies that?)
I often reflected on this experience when I moved into a Leadership Development role, supporting very busy senior leaders and executives. I regularly asked the leader "what are you doing this week to closer to the work", or "how are you connecting directly with people at all levels of your organisation to truly understand what the challenges are, and how are you empowering them to find and implement improvements?" I'd observe them in the open plan offices, sitting in the far end, and I'd encourage them to take a walk through their business. Yes - that can feel a bit uncomfortable (for everyone!) if its not the norm, and yes, it can take a bit of time - but what is more important than keeping your finger on the pulse of what is happening in your business? And what is the cost in the future, if you don't make that time now?
If this has given you food for thought, what are my top tips?
As Steven Covey said - start with the end in mind! What impact do you want to create? What do you want the culture to be? In my view, a psychologically safe environment where leaders employ a coaching leadership style create the best platform for engagement and success.. What would that look like and feel like for you?
Identify your starting point - what can you do to understand your current impact? Seek feedback! Depending on the size of your team or organisation, there are lots of great tools available (and no light sabers required!). 360 feedback is hugely valuable, Staff Opinion Surveys are very revealing, Upward Feedback Sessions can be quick to arrange, and hold a mirror to your blind spots. All hugely useful.
Take responsibility for creating a psychologically safe environment - review the feedback and take action. "Show up" in an authentic, but positive way - be conscious of the language you are using - glass half full is better than empty! Set yourself some relevant goals and build them into your weekly plan - it could be more regular attendance at weekly stand ups, one to ones with some colleagues you don't get the chance to interact with (these could be your future talent pipeline)
Review and reflect - did the actions your took achieve the results you desired? Great - keep going! Or no - ok, what do you need to change, if you want to change the outcome.
As Theodore Roosevelt said - "people don't care how much you know, until they know how much you care". Or Dale Carnegie - "to be interesting, be interested". Apply this to how your lead your team or organisation - show up for them as someone who cares, who is interested - and create a team or organisation you are proud to lead!
If you would like help in developing you or your team's Leadership Capability and Effectiveness, please get in touch! www.lizgilchristcoaching.co.uk
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