Great Morning Team,
Some might consider the notion that creating a safe space for others means that we must concede in some way our expectations of others. It doesn’t. Whether it be a commitment made from one colleague to another in a shared project or Rock, or a manager’s expectation of individual performance of their direct reports; creating psychological safety for each other is not a reason to allow commitments to go unfulfilled, or to accept sub-standard performance. It is perfectly acceptable to hold people accountable for their actions and behavior. How we do it, and how we say it though makes all the difference. There are ways to create safety for others in the words we choose. For example, rather than stating, “These are my expectations.” we can state, “These are our agreements”. It’s a simple way with the choice of our words to ask for commitments and deliverables without using “the stick”. The reality is we can create both safety AND accountability for each other simultaneously, and one does not limit the other from being possible.
When we create safe spaces for each other, we create an environment where we can invite and promote curiosity, where people feel safe speaking their mind with respectful candor, share ideas easily, learn, collaborate, and fail well: experimenting, testing, and trying new ideas and ways to innovate better and faster. All of this is created without fear of repercussions. We learn together and grow together. All mistakes are valued, and even more so when we learn from them. The structure of this environment makes it easier to have some of the more difficult conversations of accountability because a safe space gives us the permission to speak honestly and candidly, with thoughtfulness and care, as we are all responsible for how the communication lands, coupled with the fact that we genuinely want each other to succeed. 😊
Is either easy to master, let alone combine both? No. A perfect reason why we are creating some incredible robust Manager Training with a hyperfocus on Psychological Safety, along with Skillful and Effective Communication Training for all staff this year. It’s a goal for us all to learn these new skills and become 1% better at it each day!
Check out the short 2 minute, 31 second video from Amy Edmondson who speaks about the four zones of psychological safety and accountability, and the impact of each. Click here for video. (You will need to login to your LinkedIn account to access it, as there is no other version yet available.)
What are your thoughts? Do you agree with Edmondson’s philosophy? What zone do you tend to fall into when working with others? I would love to hear your perspective in the comments section below. 😊
Wishing you all a Better We, Better Week! 😊
Thanks,
Lori Beth
