How do you promote psychological safety among your team members?

One thing I’ve found helpful is to ensure that I clarify or acknowledge my understanding of what is being said to me. Always ask for permission to share information.

I told my subordinates that I’m the easiest person in the world to help tempered with your input is valued but it’s not a vote…..

We are at a pivotal point in time where this is more important than ever. With so many different generations in the workforce, old dogs are having to learn new tricks, or they’ll age out probably sooner than they would like.

I introduced temperament and personality training in my organization. This allowed supervisors to understand "Who" they are, "Why" they do things a certain way, and "How" they can be perceived by their subordinates. Additionally, they were encouraged to take the necessary steps to then understand who their subordinates were. This allowed a 360 degree dynamic of understanding how to effectively communicate with one another.

Let your people help create the vision and mission, and then follow through with making those things happen on a daily basis. Lip-service and buzzwords need to be more than ink on paper. Compassion and empathy CAN be present while still “being in-charge”.

Recently a coworker asked how they should communicate an ownership change to a process where they would no longer own a task. This person wasn't sure how the other person would react to assuming control of the task. Instead of dictating a response and telling her what I would do I instead asked "if it were you getting something new to do, how would you like to be told?". It turns out she knew exactly how she'd want to be told something like that, and she came to the conclusion herself. It was much more satisfying than a dictated response.

I love this and cant agree more: "To support autonomy and collaboration, you need to delegate tasks and decisions appropriately, and avoid micromanaging or controlling your team."

Creating an environment of positive energy helps members of the team take risks, report mistakes and be creative and innovative. When there is a major setback/mistake, asking "Who was responsible for this/ how did it happen" can lead to negativity in the team. Saying "Everything will be all right" will create false positivity which is short-lived. Saying "Let's see what can we do from here" or "What do we learn from this" will focus all the attention on problem-solving and create a positive sentiment. This way, a leader can ensure the members of the team do not shy away from admitting mistakes or resort to blaming others but work towards finding solutions. Gratitude, appreciation, and recognition are other ways of creating positivity.

Providing a psychological safety enables a leader to deliver quality product within cost & timelines. Psychological safety components are; 1. Allow your vulnerabilities to play and be open & vocal about it. 2. Listen to each team member without judging. That provides others to open up to you. 3. Be there for everyone. when there is a crisis in their families, be the first one to help. 4. Share your personal stories and allow others to share theirs. That connects them as team. Encourage the team members to pursue their other habits - like singing, painting, teaching, volunteering etc. Be there to celebrate their achievements in those areas. Psychological Safety is not just a lip service or some policy on paper….

Also, I tend to see management allowing lazy behavior and then saying well we can’t do anything about it. We have several people call out or do not show up several days of the week yet they are still here. It does not create an environment where people feel valued.