Psychological safety isn’t just for the office; it’s vital within families, too. It’s about feeling safe to talk, share feelings, and know you won’t be judged. A secure home fosters trust, open conversations, and emotional well-being. In a psychologically safe home, everyone can express themselves freely. Surprisingly, this is similar at work.
Good managers score high on psychological safety (84%), while lower-rated managers get just 36%. In the workplace, it means feeling safe to take risks, voice concerns, or share creative ideas. This article explores psychological safety and how to create it at home and work in simple terms.
What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety means speaking up without fear of punishment or embarrassment. Dr. Amy Edmondson, who came up with this term, says it’s about believing you will avoid getting in trouble for sharing ideas, questions, concerns, or making mistakes.
This idea is essential for successful teams. Google’s research even showed that teams that perform the best have the most psychological safety.
In teams with psychologically solid safety, people aren’t scared to take smart risks or admit when they mess up. They freely share their thoughts and are honest with each other. This helps them avoid making the same mistakes and develop better ideas.
Simply put, it’s about creating an environment where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves and share their thoughts.
What Is the Importance Of Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety is crucial both at home and at work. It fosters trust, open communication, and emotional well-being. In a safe environment, individuals can freely express their thoughts and concerns without fear of judgment.
This leads to stronger relationships within families and more innovative and effective teams at work. Ultimately, it creates a positive and supportive atmosphere where people can thrive personally and professionally.
How to Create Psychological Safety At Home?
Psychological safety at home is essential for building strong, healthy family relationships. Here’s how you can do it:
- Taking Responsibility for Mistakes
Every family member, from parents to children, should be willing to admit when they make mistakes. Equally important is how you respond when someone apologizes for a genuine mistake. It’s about showing that you’re committed to mending any hurt feelings or broken trust caused by those mistakes.
- Promoting Shared Values:
Establish core values in your family that revolve around respect, empathy, kindness, and open communication. Make sure to talk about and reinforce these values regularly to make them a part of your family’s way of life.
- Active Listening:
Teach your family members the importance of active listening. This means paying attention when someone is speaking, trying to understand their point of view, and responding with empathy and kindness. It shows that you care about what others have to say.
- Being Vulnerable and Allowing Expression:
Like owning up to mistakes, being vulnerable is crucial. Parents who show their true selves and share their vulnerabilities set the stage for kids to feel safe sharing their weaknesses and feelings within the family.
- Modeling Open Communication:
Parents and caregivers should lead by example regarding open and honest communication within the family. Share your thoughts, emotions, and experiences authentically, and encourage other family members to do the same. This demonstrates the importance of open expression and helps create a safe atmosphere.
- Encouraging Empathy and Understanding
Promote empathy within the family by encouraging everyone to consider each other’s perspectives. Encourage discussions that involve exercises to build empathy and share personal experiences to foster understanding.
- Establishing a Feedback Channel:
Create a feedback channel within the family that is safe and non-threatening. This means that every family member should feel comfortable giving and receiving feedback. All family members must be involved in setting up and maintaining this channel. The feedback should be delivered with love and good intentions, even if it’s uncomfortable.
- Building Trust
Trust is the foundation of psychological safety. For establishing trust within the family, it’s crucial to keep promises, respect each other’s boundaries, and consistently show support and reliability. Encourage family members to trust one another and reinforce trust-building behaviors.
Creating a Psychologically Safe Workplace: 10 Simple Steps
In today’s fast-paced work environment, feeling like you’re on a relentless treadmill is common. However, there’s a path to endure and enjoy work paved with psychological safety. This means feeling secure, valued, and able to express yourself at work.
Research reveals that 60% of employees experiencing low resilience and psychological safety suffer from burnout, with 34% contemplating leaving their jobs. It is about feeling secure, valued, and free to be yourself at work. Here are ten easy steps to create a psychologically safe environment for you and your team:
Step 1: Engage with Consideration and Authenticity.
Your boss should be someone you can talk to. But that only sometimes happens. The best managers create safety by being authentic and kind. They ask questions and genuinely care about your thoughts and feelings.
Step 2: Promote Self-Awareness.
It’s essential to understand how you think and act. This helps you see if your biases affect how your team shares ideas. Knowing your typical reactions to challenges lets you react in a way that makes people feel comfortable talking to you.
Step 3: Break the “Golden Rule.”
Remember the golden rule – treat others as you want to be treated. Well, for psychological safety, flip it. Treat others how they want to be treated. Ask your team what they prefer in terms of communication, feedback, and more.
Step 4: Show Engagement
When your boss doesn’t pay attention when you talk, it’s frustrating. So, be present during meetings. Put away your phone or laptop. Show you care about what’s being said. Listen actively by asking questions and showing you understand.
Step 5: Be Open to Feedback
As a leader, you make crucial decisions. Your team must know you’re confident in your choices but open to their feedback. When people feel safe, they’re more likely to share their thoughts – even if they challenge your ideas.
Step 6: Actively Listen
Managers must listen without putting down ideas or the person sharing them. Even your tone can affect how safe someone feels. So, thank your team members for their input without belittling them.
Step 7: Nip Negativity in the Bud
Negative talk can poison a team. If someone on your team is being negative about others, address it. Make it clear that negativity won’t be tolerated. Negativity can make people feel unsafe, so it’s crucial to stop it early.
Step 8: Build Trust Through Transparency
Transparency means being honest about feedback, budgets, promotions, and layoffs. People want to feel heard and informed. Being open about these things can ease anxiety and build trust.
Step 9: Approach Issues with Curiosity.
Instead of blaming, be curious. When there’s a problem, tackle it together as a team. This collaborative approach reduces defensiveness and makes people feel part of the solution.
Step 10: Lead by Example.
Show your team that taking risks and sharing failures is okay. Share your own mistakes and what you’ve learned. When they see you’re human, they’ll feel safer sharing their thoughts and ideas.
Creating a psychologically safe workplace doesn’t require complex strategies. It’s about being a kind and understanding leader, valuing your team’s input, and promoting open and respectful communication. When you do these things, you’ll be amazed at how much more enjoyable work can be for everyone.
Examples of Psychological Safety in Action
Here are examples of psychological safety in action:
- Google’s 20% Time: Promoting Innovation and Risk-Taking
Google, a company that knows the value of psychological safety, encourages its employees to embrace it through a practice known as ‘20% time.’ In this initiative, Google employees are given the freedom (though it’s not mandatory) to work on side projects that go beyond their regular job roles.
How does this foster psychological safety? It creates an environment where it’s safe to learn. People can experiment, explore new ideas, and take risks without fearing humiliation or punishment. This innovation freedom has led to some remarkable products, including Gmail and Google Maps.
- Buffer’s Shift Away from Probationary Periods: Prioritizing Psychological Safety
Buffer, a social media software company, used to have a 45-day probationary period for all new team members called Buffer Bootcamp. It is a good idea to test compatibility before committing fully. Buffer even paid out the full 45 days if an employee decided to leave early.
However, in 2017, Buffer decided to ditch Buffer Bootcamp. Why? They realized it was harming psychological safety within their team. As Courtney Seiter explains on the Buffer blog, a 45-day probationary period posed a considerable risk, especially for those who had left other jobs to join Buffer. If employees felt uncertain and guarded during their first six weeks, the company might miss out on their honest thoughts and innovative ideas.
Buffer recognized that creating a psychologically safe environment is more important than having a lengthy probationary period. They shifted their focus to making new hires feel comfortable, ensuring open communication, and nurturing a workplace where people could freely express themselves without fear.
Conclusion
In conclusion, psychological safety is not just a concept confined to the workplace but equally vital within our homes and families. You can create a safe environment where everyone feels valued and heard by fostering open communication, trust, and empathy.
Implementing practices like Google’s ‘20% time’ and Buffer’s shift away from probationary periods demonstrates how psychological safety can lead to innovation and improved team dynamics. Embracing psychological safety can enhance our personal and professional lives, creating spaces where growth and collaboration thrive.
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