How do I build psychological safety on my team
When did someone last disagree with you out loud, and what happened to them afterward?
Amy Edmondson defines psychological safety in The Fearless Organization as the belief that you will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with an idea, a question, a concern, or a mistake.
Most companies that say they want psychological safety actually want harmony, and those are not the same thing. Real safety produces more visible disagreement, not less, because people who feel safe enough to admit a mistake are also safe enough to say I do not think that is right. A leader who is uncomfortable with that wanted quiet, not safety.
Most leaders who damage it do not mean to. Underneath is usually fear that a mistake will reflect on them, or that they are losing control of an outcome, and the oldest reflex in management is to grab the wheel rather than stay present enough to let something unfold without steering it.
What you get
- The evidence question, answered from a specific memory rather than an impression
- A six-item leader behavior checklist, with a note on which three do the damage
- The start-with-one-person move, and space to name that person
Where should we send it?
One email with the worksheet. You can unsubscribe from anything else in one click.
On its way
Check your inbox. If it has not landed in a minute or two, look in promotions or spam, and add sam@startuppatterns.com to your contacts so the rest arrive.
Adapted from the Culture chapter of The Mindful Product Company by Sam McAfee.