Fostering Psychological Safety: Tips for Training Leaders

At its essence, team psychological safety embodies a collective confidence in one's ability to engage in interpersonal vulnerability within a team setting. This encompasses the freedom to express ideas and apprehensions without fear of reprisal, mockery, or exclusion. It further signifies that in moments of professional vulnerability, one can expect their colleagues to provide encouragement and assistance rather than criticism. In essence, psychological safety entails the liberty to be authentic and true to oneself.

As Dr. Amy Edmondson, the originator of the term, describes it, team psychological safety can be understood as the 'perceived freedom to be candid.' However, without clear leadership actions to encourage candor, initiating open and honest communication can be challenging and may even go unrewarded. In reality, there may be a stronger incentive for individuals to hold back and keep their ideas to themselves in the workplace. This approach is likely to have negative consequences for all parties involved.

Why is it advantageous to establish a team environment that encourages the acceptance of risks? Google carried out an extensive two-year investigation into team performance, discovering a shared trait among their top-performing teams: psychological safety. However, a McKinsey survey conducted amid the pandemic affirms that "only a few business leaders frequently exhibit the constructive behaviors that can foster this atmosphere, known as psychological safety, within their staff." The issue isn't the lack of persuasion for safety, but rather the insufficient support and training provided to leaders to effectively implement it.

The encouraging development is that there are now substantial research findings that provide guidance on the precise actions leaders can take to foster such a team environment. Achieving this requires providing team leaders with education, raising awareness, and establishing a secure environment where they can hone their skills and seek essential guidance.

The positive development is that there are substantial research findings that provide guidance on the precise actions leaders can take to cultivate such a team environment. Achieving this requires providing education, raising awareness, and establishing a secure environment where team leaders can hone their skills and seek essential guidance.

Cultivate Empathy and Respond with Empathy

Commencing a conversation with empathy can be a potent approach. This concept isn't novel, but many leaders find it challenging and may experience discomfort and resistance when attempting to employ this vital skill. Empathy often lies beyond their comfort zones. In the absence of empathy, teams tend to become defensive and withhold open communication, which diminishes courage and suppresses discussions about concerns and risks. Empathy is a critical component for fostering a sense of safety within teams and achieving positive team outcomes.

To simplify and reduce the sense of intimidation, it can be helpful to provide precise, results-driven communication skills. This includes debunking misconceptions about empathy causing excessive vulnerability or boundary issues in a workplace context. Leaders should be instructed on how to recognize emotions and address challenges, such as adversity, hurt, or failure. This instruction can encompass expanding their emotional vocabulary by identifying various emotions and fostering emotional self-awareness within a supportive and non-judgmental learning environment. Additionally, leaders can gain value from acquiring techniques for deep listening, incorporating pauses, and asking questions to cultivate empathy rather than indifference.

Psychological safety entails the freedom to express your authentic self.

Master the Art of Guiding Through Inclusivity and Fostering a Sense of Belonging

While a dedicated workshop would be beneficial, it's essential to emphasize that inclusion constitutes a pivotal component of leadership training. Incorporating inclusive practices is instrumental in enabling leaders to harness the diversity within their teams, allowing a broader range of individuals to confidently express their unique perspectives at work.

This is particularly crucial because research unequivocally demonstrates that diversity can become a barrier rather than an advantage in the absence of psychological safety. When diversity exists without fostering an environment of psychological security, it can lead to detrimental outcomes, ultimately diminishing both satisfaction and performance within the team.

Psychological safety emerges as a crucial factor that sets apart diverse teams and positively influences their performance. This environment fosters the elevation of team communication through various practices, including setting an example by respecting differences, recognizing diversity as a team's source of strength, actively addressing biases, maintaining respect during disagreements, and ensuring the presence of fair and transparent processes. These practices, in turn, promote confident participation, enhance the generation of superior ideas, facilitate collaboration, and lead to well-informed and robust decision-making.

Promote Leadership that Emphasizes Consultation and Support

Recent research conducted by McKinsey has confirmed the established advantages of psychological safety. Leaders can enhance the safety and performance of their work environments more effectively by cultivating certain skills. The study highlights that authoritative leadership behaviors exhibited by team leaders can have a negative impact on psychological safety, whereas consultative and supportive leadership behaviors contribute positively to fostering psychological safety.

Let's examine the characteristics that leaders would display when practicing a consultative approach. These behaviors include engaging in open conversations with team members, actively seeking their input, and taking into account their perspectives on matters that impact them. According to the study, supportive leadership plays a meaningful albeit indirect role in fostering psychological safety by fostering a positive team environment. This could entail leaders expressing care and providing support to team members, recognizing them not only as employees but also as individuals.

Provide Feedback That Is Both Respectful and Actionable

Psychologically safe communication relies heavily on the importance of receiving feedback, especially when it occurs in challenging situations. When leaders fail to identify or choose not to address negative behaviors, team dynamics can erode. The reluctance of leaders to provide constructive feedback due to discomfort and the fear of potential conflicts allows individuals who may push boundaries or remain unaware of their impact on others' psychological safety in the workplace to continue unchecked.

Providing honest and considerate feedback relies less on bravery and more on skill. When leaders acquire evidence-based methods for giving feedback, it can significantly reduce resistance. One effective approach is to provide advance notice of forthcoming feedback, which fosters engagement rather than resistance. Additionally, crafting feedback to be respectful, equitable, and specific, while also highlighting the consequences of an individual's actions or choices, helps build a compelling argument for change and enhancement.

Managers responsible for training can develop these training programs by incorporating key elements that contribute to fostering psychological safety within teams. When team leaders gain insight into how their actions, communication, and decisions impact individuals' feelings of inclusion and security, they may gain a fresh perspective on their own behaviors.