His palms are sweaty, knees weak, arms are heavy...
There's vomit on his sweater already, mom's spaghetti...
Wait, that's Eminem.
But it's probably a relatable feeling...
(okay, maybe minus the actual vomit or spaghetti)
...if you've ever been anxious about sharing an idea or a mistake at work.
Whether teammate or leader, we each have a different relationship with vulnerability, but there is one key difference between a toxic culture and a healthy workplace:
Team Psychological Safety
Today we'll be digging into this as our first topic on Team Collaboration and Communication.
Whether you are a team of one, leading a team of 30, or a member of any size team, today's topic is for you.
Collaborative Confidence
So what does it mean to have psychological safety at work?
Team Psychological Safety is when team members feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and express concerns without fear of negative consequences.
While not the only thing that leads to burnout at work, it can be a major indicator.
Burnout prevention has to be approached from both by us as individuals AND by systems, workplaces, and culture in order to make real, lasting change.
It's why I'm so passionate about individual well-being and consulting with businesses in their operations and systems.
Let's dig into the what, why, and how of it all!
Psychological safety is a huge way that workplaces can work to center not only team well-being but burnout prevention in the everyday.
This concept isn't brand new.
Amy Edmondson, the Harvard Business School professor and author of The Fearless Organization, coined the phrase “team psychological safety" in 1999.
Meaning it is old enough to buy alcohol 😅
"It's felt permission for candor.", as Edmondson puts it.
I vividly remember points in my corporate career where I was hesitant to speak up because it didn't feel safe to be vulnerable - there wasn't psychological safety.
And many others share the same or similar experiences.
Toxic work culture was the highest driver behind the Great Resignation in 2022 [1] and in 2023 people who reported working in a toxic work place were three times more likely to have said they experienced harm to their mental health. [2]
As a workforce, we value mental health and well-being far more than ever before and are willing to leave jobs easier and faster than previous generations because of it.
No matter how you slice it...
The benefits of psychological safety far outweigh the effort to implement. The following is an excerpt from Amy Gallo's article What is Psychological Safety? [3]:
All of these benefits — the impact on a team’s performance, innovation, creativity, resilience, and learning — have been proven in research over the years, most notably in Edmondson’s original research and in a study done at Google. That research, known as Project Aristotle, aimed to understand the factors that impacted team effectiveness across Google. Using over 30 statistical models and hundreds of variables, that project concluded that who was on a team mattered less than how the team worked together. And the most important factor was psychological safety.
Now that we know the what and the why, let's dig into how psychological safety enhances team dynamics:
COMMUNICATION + COLLABORATION
Imagine a workspace where ideas flow freely and every voice matters. That's the power of psychological safety. It transforms your team by:
Encouraging open dialogue without fear of criticism
Blending diverse perspectives for innovative problem-solving
Strengthening team bonds, leading to smoother collaboration
Making it comfortable to seek help, reducing misunderstandings
Creating an environment of continuous growth and learning
BURNOUT PREVENTION
We've all felt that knot in our stomach when we think we've made a mistake. Psychological safety helps dissolve that feeling. Here's how:
Alleviates the stress of potential judgment
Opens up conversations about work-life balance
Cultivates an atmosphere where discussing workload concerns is welcomed
Reduces the need to maintain a facade of perfection
Allows for genuine self-expression, easing mental and emotional pressure
INDIVIDUAL BENEFITS FOR LEADERS + TEAMMATES
Psychological safety isn't just a win for the team as a whole – it offers distinct advantages for both leaders and individual team members. Check out how this approach can transform your work experience, whether you're guiding the team or contributing as a valued member:
For Leaders:
Fosters early identification of potential issues
Boosts employee engagement and retention
Sparks creativity by encouraging calculated risk-taking
Enhances overall team performance and efficiency
Develops a more adaptable, resilient team
For Team Members:
Feel valued for your unique contributions
Gain confidence in sharing new ideas or challenging norms
Experience less anxiety about mistakes or asking questions
Receive support for professional development
Collaborate more effectively with diverse colleagues
Psychological safety isn't just a trendy concept – it's a fundamental shift in how we approach work. We spend more of our week at work then we do with our friends and family and it's vital to our health to transform the workplace from a source of stress to a space for growth, innovation, and genuine connection.
To help foster this environment and create a foundation for sustainable success...
Try This:
Now that we've explored the power of psychological safety, let's put it into practice with a simple yet impactful exercise.
This activity invites you and your team to openly discuss recent mistakes, fostering an environment where learning from errors is celebrated rather than feared. By normalizing and sharing missteps, we create space for innovative collaboration, increased trust, and reinforcing the truth that it's okay to be human at work.
Let's dive into how you can implement and personalize this transformative practice:
HOW TO:
Schedule a regular time to meet.
Explain the purpose of the exercise.
Start with leadership sharing a mistake to model vulnerability.
Establish ground rules for respectful listening and no blame.
Invite team members to share a mistake they made and what they learned from it.
Encourage discussion on how to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
Celebrate the learning and courage it takes to share.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
This can be weekly, bi-weekly, or any interval that works best with your team. Try one and set a time to review how it's going and adjust as needed.
This can be in a sync or async model. Whether you include it in an existing team meeting, start a new one, or set up a weekly check-in via your team's Slack, Teams, etc.
For my solopreneurs, this can be a journal prompt exercise to close out your week. You can also do this in a peer group of fellow entrepreneurs for community support.
If you aren't a leader, try this with your work bff and cultivate that vulnerability where it feels safe. You can also try this with your partner at home or at brunch/dinner with your non-work friends. While it would be nice if this could be implemented in every team, your mental health is important. Being vulnerable in a toxic workplace can lead to more harm so prioritize safety and find ways to grow personally elsewhere.
For my mid-level managers, you may not see your own leaders implementing this, but you can create mini-cultures in your own teams. Who knows, you might start a trend when your leadership sees improvements in your teams productivity and collaboration. Don't under-estimate the value of doing this for those that work for you and leading by example. Make sure to see "if you aren't a leader" above to ensure you have your own support outside your team.
TIPS FOR SUCCESS:
Ensure consistent participation from leadership. Forcing the team to be vulnerable and not the leaders will devalue this exercise.
Focus on learning and improvement, not blame. Chances are most of us aren't saving babies. Most mistakes can be resolved with a little effort.
Be patient as team members become comfortable with sharing. Avoid pressuring or singling out anyone hesitant to participate, this can undermine the psychological safety you're trying to build.
Remember, building psychological safety is a gradual process. Be patient with yourself and your team as you implement this exercise. It's okay to start small and build up over time!
From My Journal
I have a note in my phone where I keep quotes that I feel deeply from around the internet, people in my life, or the books I read. These were my favorites this week:
The hardest thing for someone who loves knowledge to admit. Not everything has a why. Some things just are.
Healing isn’t a straight line. And it doesn’t mean you can reverse things to the way they were. A healed broken bone was still once broken, though the mending makes it stronger.
It doesn’t exist.
The perfect, productive person who can work, meal prep, do chores, run errands, raise kids or caretake for family, or all the above. Doesn’t. Exist.
It’s a myth.
What's a quote that hit you right in the feels recently?
WHAT I'M LOVING:
While the internet is busy watching The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives, I've been watching Season 7 of The Circle. As someone who grew up mormon-adjacent most of my childhood, I'm very curious and also not sure I want to go back there.
Graham cracker pie crusts are the GOAT.
HAVING A GREAT TIME HERE?
Here's a few ways you can let me know:
Option 1: 💌 Share with a fellow creative or business owner. Community starts with each of us and friends don't let friends chase their dreams at the expense of their mental health! If you know someone seeking more sustainability and harmony in their life and/or business, send this their way.
Option 2: 👋 Say hi! Hit reply and share a sentence or two about anything you enjoyed or hit home for you. I always hope these words find the right people at the right time, but it's always makes my day to hear from you!
