I love basketball. In college, the posters on my wall were of Michael Jordan, and my idea of a perfect Sunday was an NBA double-header on TV. I watched it, I played and, if Kurtis Blow had not beaten me to it with his own masterpiece, I may have written an ode to it. When my husband and I first started dating and getting to know each other, I declared that I shared his love for basketball, he smiled. However, a few weeks later as we watched a game and I ranted during a game, he said, with an impressed smile, "Oh, you really do like basketball." This may have been the moment that sealed our future together...
I get most excited about basketball when the players work as a team, bringing together their individual skills to create a formidable force. You can really appreciate the value of a great team when you watch a team that is backed with incredibly talented players but can't win a game. People are confused because, from reading the roster, you have what should be a super team, an indomitable lineup, but what you have ended up with is a bunch of super frustrated individuals who can't seem to catch a break. You may see the superstars yelling at their less prolific teammates, you may hear about tension filled locker rooms where everyone's goal is to leave as quickly as possible, and you may take a look at all the long faces and be relieved that you are not on that team.
Thinking about this brought to mind a couple of experiences that I have had in the workplace. A while back, I was on team that had me dreading the time I spent with my colleagues and thinking a lot about Nick Leeson and Barings Bank. For some colleagues, hierarchy was most important to them and, as far as they were concerned, their demands and instructions were to be obeyed without question. All good ideas flowed from them downwards, and all their ideas were good. If there were any errors in the work, it was because there was something wrong with you. If they had to explain anything to another colleague, it meant that colleague was not smart (god forbid an explanation had to be given more than once). The office was a miserable place, with cliques that would do very well in a high school movie, poor communication, and a lot of long faces. At times, the days were stressful, not because of the work at hand but because of the work environment.
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of working with a team that I still miss. What was key to this dream team was psychological safety, which is a term coined by Amy Edmondson. As Professor Edmondson describes it, "Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes." Psychological safety was not a given when we first started working together, we had to establish it and maintain it as a part of our team culture, regardless of what situations we were in. As were did not all know each other going in, and we had not worked together before, we took the time to prioritize building a positive team dynamic. Because we put the effort in to create a team where all members were comfortable because it was a supportive space, we were able to excel at a challenging engagement and even have fun (and doughnuts) while we were at it. The first steps to safety were not easy ones - for many of us, showing that we can make mistakes, that we don't know everything, that we may have challenges in our personal lives that can impact our work lives, is a very difficult thing to do. Doing these things is often perceived as showing weakness that can only negatively impact our careers. If we are afraid to show that we are not infallible, brilliant, efficient machines, we may keep our ideas and opinions to ourselves, for fear they will be shot down and derided as foolishness. How many times have you thought or heard, "oh, I did think of that but didn't say anything because..."? And I can guarantee that there a myriad more missed opportunities because someone did not feel comfortable enough to say something, or because we did not consider a contribution from a colleague.
Inclusion and belonging cannot succeed without psychological safety. Nowadays, a lot of workplaces encourage their employees bring their whole, authentic selves but how can that happen if employees fear that they may be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, or concerns? How can a workplace benefit from the diverse experiences, skills, and contributions of all their employees if some employees do not feel that work is a safe place to bring these experiences, skills, and contributions? If our colleagues are made to feel like they must hide who they are so they are not considered to be an "other", we will only get what they think we want to hear. When we talk about the business case for diversity and inclusion, the inclusion is where the benefits manifest. So, how do you cultivate psychological safety? A few first steps you can take:
- Especially if you are leading a team, set the tone and be authentic yourself. If you don't know something, if someone on your team is better at something than you are, if you make a mistake, acknowledge it.
- Be engaged when interacting with your colleagues and take the time to connect with everyone on your team. Make everyone truly believe that they are valued and that it is safe for them to contribute.
- Highlight new ideas, thoughts, and feedback when they result in something positive. If someone's contribution gets you to rethink an approach and that, in turn, leads to a breakthrough, call it out.
- Discuss ideas without judgment, and encourage the "outside-the-box" thoughts colleagues might have. Even if you come to an interaction with what you are sure is a brilliant concept, be open to feedback and collaboration and, always, encourage this approach from others.
- If someone makes a mistake, don't focus on placing blame. Instead, focus on how the team can make it better next time. If a colleague makes an error, overlooks something, or comes across something that seems off, they will only bring it up if they think it is safe to do so. And, just about every time, if they decide the safer solution is silence, things only get worse.
Thanks to a colleague, I recently watched Ted Lasso and he lives and breathes a culture of psychological safety (and brilliantly gives a shout out to Allen Iverson). When we create spaces where everyone can show up, be themselves, and give us their brilliance and vulnerability, amazing things happen. I believe it and I love being a part of it because I have seen the fantastic results. Also, no one really likes that selfish black hole on the court where, if the ball goes there, it is never coming out again.