The hidden superpower of successful teams.

Did you know it’s been researched that teams with a higher number of positive outcomes admit to making more mistakes, whilst the teams with fewer good outcomes were more likely to hide theirs, or just didn’t feel safe to own up?

This is something I have been thinking about a lot over the last several weeks. If you manage people, you probably spend time thinking about performance, productivity, and results. But are you aware that there is a factor that significantly impacts all of that?

That factor is psychological safety. Having run sessions on understanding psychological safety and your part to play in it, I have witnessed how understanding this concept has changed how others lead and show up.

Psychological safety, a term originally thought to have been coined in the 1950’s, is simply put, the belief that ‘this is a safe place to speak up, take risks, admit mistakes, and ask for help, without fear of embarrassment, rejection, or punishment’.  It is not just about individual feelings, nor does it mean avoiding challenge or uncomfortable discussions, but instead it is a ‘shared perception within a team that allows for open communication, risk-taking, and learning from mistakes.’ The most psychologically safe teams can have healthy debates, give difficult feedback, and work through disagreements, because there’s a foundation of trust.

Why should you care? Because leaders shape the environment of psychological safety every single day. In team meetings. In how you give feedback. In your reaction when someone makes a mistake. It can even be who you interrupt (or don’t).

Think about a time when you’ve felt safe at work to contribute – really contribute by speaking up and giving your opinion, knowing it would be heard and respected. Now think about a time when you didn’t. Notice the difference?

To break it down, when psychological safety is high, individuals:

• Share ideas more freely.

• Ask for help sooner and often spot problems earlier. They are vulnerable and open to receiving feedback.

• Reflect honestly and learn faster from mistakes. They’re also more likely to try new skills and apply what they have learnt.

• Take ownership and show initiative.

• Participate more actively, stay more engaged and connected to the team.

When it’s low, they:

·     Stay quiet, especially in group settings, even when they see a problem. They withhold ideas and feedback.

·     Avoid asking questions for fear of ‘looking stupid’.

·     May struggle with anxiety around their performance and any self-reflection is often surface level.

·     Are less likely to apply what they have learnt. Meaning that any learning or behaviour change is less likely to stick.

So, if you are thinking about your company’s commercial success (which, as a leader, I’m sure you are!), you should also be thinking about psychological safety. Because where this is present, your business is also likely to benefit from:

·      Increased retention: you’ve heard that people leave managers, not jobs.  You can go further to say that they leave teams when they feel silenced or unseen. When individuals feel psychologically safe, they’re more likely to stay – saving your company money on recruitment, onboarding, and not to mention lost knowledge and training.

·      Increased productivity: teams that feel safe collaborate better, problem-solve together (which often means faster) and tend to require less supervision.  The result? Higher output and often better results.

·      Increased innovation: when people feel safe to speak up, even to say, “I don’t know the answer”, they offer creative solutions without fear of failure or looking stupid. Teams that feel safe also often see problems sooner, resulting in less costly mistakes.

·      Reduced absenteeism:  where team members feel seen, engaged, and don’t feel that they need to protect themselves, you may also find that time off work for sickness reduces.

As a leader, you are a critical enabler, or limiter, of learning, contribution, growth, and confidence within your team. How can you encourage psychological safety?

• Model it first. Be vulnerable by sharing your own mistakes and learnings.

• Acknowledge mistakes as an opportunity to learn: “Thanks for flagging that. Let’s discuss how we can fix it together.”

• Respond with curiosity, not judgement or shutting them down. When someone says something you disagree with, try: “Tell me more, I’d like to understand how you’re seeing it.”

• Pay attention to group dynamics, for example by inviting quieter voices into the discussion: “We’ve heard from a few people, does anyone else want to weigh in?”

• Give regular opportunities for individuals to let you know what they need, for example in a survey: “What, if anything, would make it feel safer to voice your thoughts?”

• Inclusion fuels psychological safety.  If individuals feel excluded, they are less likely to speak up, try new things, or reflect honestly.

Psychological safety is a driver of performance and a leadership responsibility. If you want your teams to bring their best selves to work - their ideas, their honesty, their ability - they need to trust that it’s safe to do so.

What are some of the best ways you’ve experienced a leader encouraging and modelling an environment of psychological safety?