Comment favorisez-vous une culture de sécurité psychologique et de confiance parmi vos collègues et vos employés?

Leveraging the Self-Penetration Theory, which posits that closeness develops through gradual, reciprocal sharing of personal information, can significantly enhance trust through vulnerability. By selectively sharing personal stories, challenges, and uncertainties, you invite others to reciprocate, deepening mutual understanding and empathy. This strategic self-disclosure fosters a culture where openness and authenticity are valued, breaking down barriers and encouraging a supportive environment. Consequently, showing vulnerability not only humanizes leaders in the eyes of their colleagues and employees but also catalyzes the development of a psychologically safe workplace where every member feels seen and heard.

So often conflict arises not because people actually disagree about something, but because they don't realize they aren't talking about the same thing. If you find yourself in a disagreement with a colleague, or see two employees disagreeing, always begin with curiosity and inquiry. Ask questions to ensure everyone is on the same page and that there are no hidden assumptions driving the disagreement. Find out where people are aligned and where they are out of sync. As strange as it may sound, you will even want to make sure everyone agrees on what they are disagreeing about. As your questions bring hidden miscommunications to light, conflicts will often magically resolve themselves, or become much simpler and easier to address together.

However, recognition is not one size fits all. Coming from a military background, the awards program that provided a high-visibility recognition paired with proudly displaying a physical accolade on one's desk is not an effective means to motivate every single valuable member of your team. Ask employees to complete a short survey, asking innocuous questions which tease out ways that they feel supported. These results will help you tailor how to best motivate and make ALL team members feel included. For example, results indicate they lean more introverted, and appreciate being rewarded special projects to showcase merit. Additionally, you may elect to recognize them silently with a giftcard for them to enjoy privately with their family.

What I've found helpful in disarming colleagues, is to offer frequent, dedicated time and space for colleagues to volunteer tips and guidance on navigating challenging tasks, and facilitate brainstorming sessions. Before implementing anything, recommend practicing replies with grace in front of a mirror to ensure you are making warm expressions, as most are unaware of the defensive micro-expressions we make from our initial body reactions. To mitigate a contrived atmosphere, introduce and attack another industry's use case. Then, ask if there are any lessons that are transferable to your organization. Practice making subtle errors and allowing peers to offer corrections. This will build your peers' comfort in raising critical thoughts.

Open Communication: Encourage open dialogue where everyone feels heard and respected. Feedback: Promote constructive feedback and ensure it is given and received with empathy and understanding. Supportive Leadership: Lead by example, demonstrating vulnerability and openness to ideas and concerns. Empowerment: Empower individuals to make decisions and take calculated risks without fear of repercussion. Team Building: Foster a sense of belonging through team-building activities and shared goals. Conflict Resolution: Provide effective conflict resolution strategies to address issues respectfully. Continuous Learning: Encourage a growth mindset and provide opportunities for personal and professional development.

MEASUREMENT MATTERS Psychological Safety is currently the second most important driver of employee engagement, according to 2022 LEADx Employee Engagement research. And there is the old saying, "Measure what matters." The #1 thing organizations can do to create more psychological safety is to use a Manager Effectiveness Survey to actually measure each managers level of this metric. Who are the great leaders who can mentor others? Which managers need additional support in this area? MEASURING psych safety with pulse surveys and using the tactics above will ensure a stronger culture.

I enjoy giving the meaning and the framework. Once this is clarified, I like to let the teams, and individuals, provide their suggestions in terms of organization, collaboration and ways of doing things. Finally, measure operational results and well-being at work (the smile on people's faces is often a good indicator), to feedback and correct what is not working well.