The Power of Psychological Safety: Creating a Supportive Environment for your Team
Today we’re diving into the third pillar of successful leadership, “create a culture of psychological safety”. Having a psychologically safe work environment means that team members feel comfortable and safe sharing their thoughts, ideas, and concerns without fear of retribution. They can bring their full self to work without fear of humiliation or being shut down. They can be vulnerable; talking about their challenges and giving feedback in a respectful way.
Keys to Creating Psychological Safety
In order to create a culture of psychological safety, leaders must first demonstrate vulnerability and authenticity. This means being open about your own mistakes and failures, and creating an environment where it’s okay to make mistakes and learn from them. When team members see that their leader is comfortable with vulnerability, they are more likely to feel comfortable being vulnerable themselves.
Another important aspect of creating a culture of psychological safety is fostering open communication. Leaders must encourage their team members to share their thoughts and ideas, and actively listen to their feedback. It’s also important to make sure that team members feel heard and validated. This means acknowledging their contributions and taking their feedback seriously.
Trust is another crucial element of a culture of psychological safety. Team members must trust their leader and each other in order to feel comfortable sharing their thoughts and concerns. Leaders can build trust by following through on commitments, being transparent and honest, and treating team members with respect.
But wait…There’s more!
While creating a psychologically safe work environment, it's important to also create a culture of accountability. This means holding team members accountable for their actions, but also providing support and guidance when needed. Leaders must make it clear that they are there to help their team members succeed, and that they are committed to creating a safe and supportive environment. When there’s a high level of both performance accountability and psychological safety, you’ll see your team more frequently in the high performing zone.
Psychological Safety and
Performance Accountability
By demonstrating vulnerability and authenticity, fostering open communication, building trust, and creating a culture of accountability, leaders can create an environment where team members feel safe to share their thoughts and concerns. This leads to stronger teams, better communication, and ultimately, more success across the board.
Studies have shown that psychological safety is actually THE most important factor a team can have. See Google’s research results below:
How do you currently show psychologically safe behaviors? Share below!