When was the last time you felt like you could be yourself at work?
William A. Kahn, the founding father of engagement in the workplace, described psychological safety as early as 1990 in an Academy of Management Journal. It says you feel psychologically safe in these ways:
- you feel included
- you are safe to learn
- you are safe to contribute
- you feel safe to challenge the status quo
All without fear of being embarrassed, marginalized, or punished.
So, how do you achieve an environment where people feel safe?
It’s opposite to the structures under which many leaders came up through an organization. People feeling that every time they walk into the building they are scared their next move will get them fired. Fear organizations still exist today, likely, because the leaders running them have never been taught a new way.
We can’t solve fear cultures in a single post, but as a leader there are a few things you can do.
- Be willing to be challenged.
- Include your team in information gathering before decisions are made.
- Communicate openly and expect the same from your team.
- Coach others and celebrate the special weirdness they bring to their role.
- Coach, don’t discipline.
- Coach in private, reward in public.
- Give them credit for their ideas.
- Be willing to laugh at youself and admit when you are wrong.
- Thank your team for helping you reset to avoid disaster.
- When managing ‘up’ make sure you are bearing witness for the team, not owning credit for your own brilliance.
It takes a lot of humility to create a safe place for your team to love bringing their passion to work – but it is the little things that make the difference.
