Positive emotions like trust, curiosity, confidence, and inspiration broaden the mind and help us build psychological, social, and physical resources.
We become more open-minded, resilient, motivated, and persistent when we feel safe.
Laura Delizonna, PhD, executive coach, founder of ChoosingHappiness.com
Takeaways of Note:
“There’s no team without trust,” says Paul Santagata, Head of Industry at Google.
To increase psychological safety on your own team…
1. Approach conflict as a collaborator, not an adversary… perceived loss in conflict can trigger attempts to reestablish fairness & is a form of workplace-learned helplessness. True success is win-win. Avoid triggering a fight-or-flight reaction & ask, “How could we achieve a mutually desirable outcome?”
2. Speak human to human… we each have universal needs such as respect, competence, social status, & autonomy. Recognizing these deeper needs elicits trust and promotes positive language & behaviors.
3. Anticipate reactions & plan countermoves… specifically ask, ‘what are my main points?’, ‘what are three ways my listeners are likely to respond?’, ‘how will I respond to each of those scenarios?’
4. Replace blame with curiosity… 1) state the problem as an observation, 2) engage in explorative questions, & 3) ask for solutions
5. Ask for feedback on delivery… i.e. What worked & didn’t work in my delivery? How did it feel to hear this message? How could I have presented it more effectively?
6. Measure psychological safety… periodically ask how safe your team feels & what could enhance their feeling of safety. Also routinely survey on psychological safety & other team dynamics.