Institute for Health and Human Potential’s Post

COMMON MISCONCEPTION: Psychological Safety is the belief that your team can take risks (aka inter-personal risk taking), make mistakes and express their opinions without fear of judgement. --- This ISN’T what Psychological Safety is. Inter-personal relates to dynamics of relationships and communication between people. So, based on this definition, psychological safety is fundamentally about how individuals engage with each other. Right? Wrong. --- What Psychological Safety actually is Psychological safety is primarily focused on an individual's subjective experience of safety, comfort and confidence within a specific context. Psychological safety refers to how safe and at ease you feel in different settings, whether it is a physical space, an environment, a situation or when interacting with people. --- Psychological Safety is a complex concept with a multi-dimensional nature. Your perception and feeling of being safe encompasses a variety of cognitive-emotional-behavioural aspects, that influence emotional and mental well-being, thought processes, emotional responses and behaviour. Psychological safety extends beyond mental and emotional well-being to incorporate aspects such as intra-personal awareness, inter-personal dynamics, communication and social interactions, team dynamics, among others. --- So, you see, psychological safety is a much bigger concept than inter-personal risk taking, with a wider scope that often goes unnoticed or is downplayed. As you read more editions of the Psychological Safety 101 newsletter, I am sure you will see and appreciate the breadth of psychological safety. If you are not subscribed to the Newsletter, do it now! Any questions, let me know in the comments! #PsychologicalSafety #PsychologicalSafety101 #Inclusion #Leadership #Culture

The Four Stages of Psychological Safety https://lnkd.in/gZ2zz69G #vietnammanpower #psychological #manager

Psychological safety. What is it and why is it important? According to dictionary.com, psychological safety is the "belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. At work, it's a shared expectation held by members of a team that teammates will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for sharing ideas, taking risks, or soliciting feedback." I especially like this definition offered by Amy Edmondson in HBR "...permission for candor." (https://lnkd.in/egS9ZMJb) Fostering psychologically safe work environments is an important skill for leaders. But you may be wondering, how do you foster such an environment? 1. Ask for thoughts / feedback and listen! Nothing is worse than for someone to share their thoughts/ideas and for those ideas to not be heard or validated. Even if the idea cannot be implemented, acknowledgment goes a long way. 2. If you say you have an open door policy - truly mean it! If your team comes to you with concerns but you are never available or too busy at the moment, that could foster a feeling of isolation and despair, which leads to poor morale and lower productivity. Have your door, literal or proverbial, open as often as possible. 3. Check in regularly with your team. Asking your team members on a regular basis how they are doing with their projects and confirming they have what they need to succeed is critical to the success of any team. These are just a few tips but there are many out there to help leaders navigate this delicate topic. Cultivating an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable expressing ideas and concerns without fear cannot be built overnight but it can be built with one conversation at a time. What are some tips you've heard recently or that you have found to be effective when discussing psychological safety? 🗣 below.

Awareness is growing of the need for psychological safety in groups if people are to work at their best together. We know that without it group resource is lost as people become reluctant to speak up and share their knowledge for fear of being ridiculed, put down, talked over or worse. It is an intangible quality that oftens varies across a group, with those who do feel psychologically safe in the group often unaware of less confident feelings of others. This fully explained, step-by-step exercise can help tease out the differences in experience and perception and help groups find ways to improve psychological safety for everyone. https://lnkd.in/eTGW45FU

📊 Master the Art of Measuring Psychological Safety 📊 Don’t let common mistakes derail your efforts. Our latest article breaks down the do’s and don’ts of measuring psychological safety. Click to read! 👉 Find Out More https://lnkd.in/ez-eb35b #LeadershipTips #Engagement #PsychSafety

Does your organization provide psychological safety? 🤔 🤔 🤔 Psychological safety is not always a given or the norm in many organizations ❌; here are some questions to help you assess whether your work environment provides psychological safety: - How does your organization respond to mistakes? - Is it okay to take risks in your organization? - Are people able to speak up about problems and difficult situations? - Are different opinions or new ideas accepted in your organization? - Is it difficult to be vulnerable and ask for help from the team? - How are disagreements handled? Learn more about the importance of #psychologicalsafety and how to create a psychologically safe work environment in our latest #blogpost: https://lnkd.in/eZYdf-YW #mentalhealthawareness #mentalwellbeing #mentalhealthatwork #workplacewellbeing

🌟 Celebrating Mental Health Month: Fostering Psychological Safety at Work 🌟 May is Mental Health Awareness Month, a perfect time for leaders to reflect on the importance of creating and maintaining psychological safety in the workplace. Often, as psychologist consultant, and team strategist, my work alongside leaders is to imbed the best practices of psychological safety into their leadership and culture. I believe that fostering an environment where team members feel safe to express themselves, take risks, and be vulnerable is crucial for an inclusive work culture. Celebrate mental health month year round by incorporating the following seven steps you’re your workplace culture to create and maintain psychological safety in your organization: 1. Promote Open Communication: Encourage honest and transparent dialogue. Make it clear that all voices are valued and respected, and create channels for feedback and discussion. 2. Model Vulnerability: Lead by example. Share your own challenges and mistakes to show that it's okay to be imperfect. This builds trust and encourages others to open up. 3. Foster Inclusivity: Ensure that every team member feels included and valued. Celebrate diverse perspectives and create a culture where everyone can contribute to their fullest potential. 4. Encourage Risk-Taking: Create a safe environment for experimentation and innovation. Let your team know that failure is a part of growth and learning. 5. Provide Supportive Feedback: Offer constructive feedback in a way that supports and encourages growth. Focus on the behavior, not the person, and provide guidance on how to improve. 6. Recognize and Celebrate: Acknowledge the achievements and efforts of your team. Regular recognition boosts morale and reinforces a positive, safe environment. 7. Be authentic: Teams can smell the "I'm following a checklist to say I've done this." over the authentic leader who actually is implementing these steps for real change. By prioritizing psychological safety, leaders can create a workplace that not only attracts and retains top talent but also drives engagement and productivity. This alignment with your organization’s mission and vision will lead to happier customers and a thriving workplace. While these seven steps may seem simple enough, leaders often struggle with implementing the strategy and change management tools necessary to make a sustainable shift. There is no need to do this alone! I am happy to help, or, if already working with a consultant or business coach, have them support you in this important leadership and team culture journey. This HBR article is also very helpful: https://lnkd.in/g6XNYzEt Let’s make mental health a priority this May and beyond! #MentalHealthMonth #PsychologicalSafety #InclusiveWorkplace #Leadership #EmployeeWellbeing #Thrive #mentalhealthawareness

One of the key signs that psychological safety is being practiced is the presence of good questions and “clean” listening.

As we come to the end of #learningatWorkWeek and #MentalHealthWeek I came across this article on Psychological Safety in the Workplace and it resonated with me when I reflect on the impact of work, over the years, on my mental health and the reflective learning that came from it. Do we focus enough on Psychological Safety in our workplaces? I’m looking for case studies of good (and bad practice) for research I’m doing at University of Wales Trinity Saint David. Let me have your thoughts [email protected] Carmarthen Business School and the Professional Practice Framework ‘developing your people to develop your business’

Understanding the concept of psychological safety is easy compared with ensuring you and your team members feel psychologically safe. It's a very personal feeling that's also dependent on the situation and environment. The purpose of this blog post is to share different ways in which you can try to increase psych safety through meeting design and actions by leaders and other team members. Two things to note: 1) Including 25 actions is a lot, which may mean I'm contributing to your cognitive overload. If that's an unintended consequence, I apologize in advance. My intent is to emphasize that all of us have to work at providing psych safety and there are lots of different ways and things we can do. 2) In the post, you'll see a link to an earlier blog in which I describe my initial experiences with Paul Zak and his app Tuesday. In this post, I focus more on psych safety than Paul's ground-breaking work in immersion. That's because I've been working with a leader who's been questioning whether psych safety is even a "thing." Any reactions? And what actions are you taking to make people feel more psycholocially safe? Please share! I'd love to hear from you. We all can benefit! #psychologicalsafety #meetingplanning #meetingdesign #leaders #teammembers #teammeetings #leadershipdevelopment #leadershipcoaching #emotionalintelligence