Exploring Psychological Safety

The Mind Takeaway Podcast

In this Micro Episode, we explore Psychological Safety.

Psychological safety is believing you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.

Google conducted a study for over two years called Project Aristotle and came up with 5 Key dynamics of successful teams: psychological safety, dependability, structure and clarity, meaning, and impact.

Psychological safety stood out as the most crucial factor, to everyone's surprise.

Timestamps and Takeaways

01:29 It looks like a complex topic, but you don't need to be a psychologist to create an environment where people feel safe and included.

02:00 Cognitive Diversity means everyone in your team can share their ideas and get into discussions or dialogue.

02:36 From the outside, a psychologically safe team will be high-performing and successful but may look messy or chaotic from the inside to people outside that team.

03:05 The common misconception is that these teams are uniform and predictable, but people feel safe being themselves and expressing their opinions.

03:50 For Diversity to flourish, you and the team need to feel and have those challenging and sometimes uncomfortable conversations.

04:48 Everyone in a group will benefit greatly from getting to know everyone individually and collectively on a human level, outside of their roles and responsibilities.

05:11 A vital tenet of a psychologically safe team is that everyone trusts each other to do their best work.

05:42 Leaders need to go there first and trust themselves before they can genuinely impact others to do the same

06:38 The human connection and bond between people are vital, regardless of their opinions and how they see the world.

06:56 There is a willingness to say when you are wrong because there will be less judgment, plus failure and learning are encouraged.

07:10 Another critical trait is being curious, listening to each other, and not being scared to address topics as they arise.

07:37 It doesn't mean that things will be perfect with a team with high trust, just that if the wheels start to come off, they are more likely to self-correct.

08:43 How not valuing your option can open the door to your team's collective power shared experiences.

09:43 You don't have to talk about Diversity and Inclusion so much if you create safe spaces where everyone feels part of a community.