Tag Archives: feedback

Four Keys to Building Psychological Safety at Work

Four Keys to Building Psychological Safety At Work

GUEST POST from David Burkus

Psychological safety is the bedrock of a high-performing team. It’s more than just trust; it’s about fostering a climate of mutual trust and respect. Building psychological safety at work is not a one-time event, but a continuous process that requires conscious effort and commitment. It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels safe to take risks, voice their opinions, and be themselves without fear of judgment or punishment. It’s about creating a culture of openness, transparency, and inclusivity.

In this article, we’ll explore four key strategies to employ when building psychological safety at work. These strategies include admitting weaknesses as a leader, asking for feedback regularly, celebrating failures, and amplifying unheard voices. By implementing these strategies, you can contribute to a cycle of psychological safety that leads to higher performance.

1. Admit Weaknesses

Admitting weaknesses as a leader is a powerful way to demonstrate trust and inspire trust in return. It shows that you are human, vulnerable, and authentic. Leaders are not perfect, and admitting weaknesses is a way of acknowledging this fact. It sends a message to your team that it’s okay to make mistakes and that you value honesty and authenticity over perfection.

When leaders admit their weaknesses, it encourages team members to trust and respect them more. It creates a culture where people feel safe to admit their own weaknesses and mistakes, fostering a climate of mutual trust and respect. So, don’t be afraid to show your vulnerability. It’s a strength, not a weakness.

2. Ask for Feedback

Asking for feedback regularly is another effective strategy to build psychological safety. It shows that you are open to criticism and eager to improve. By regularly asking for feedback, you can understand how to better serve your team as a leader and meet their needs.

Don’t just ask for feedback, though. Ask specific questions to get constructive feedback. This will show your team that you value their input and are committed to improving. Applying the feedback you receive not only helps you grow as a leader but also builds trust and encourages open and honest conversations within your team.

3. Celebrate Failures

Failures are often seen as something to be avoided at all costs. But in reality, failures are opportunities for growth and learning. By celebrating failures, you promote transparency and emphasize the value of learning from mistakes. Discussing failures and what can be learned from them creates a culture where people are not afraid to take risks and make mistakes.

When you celebrate failures, you send a clear message to your team that it’s okay to fail. It’s okay to try something new and not succeed. What’s important is that we learn from our failures and use them as stepping stones to success. This fosters a climate of psychological safety where people feel safe to take risks and innovate.

4. Amplify Unheard Voices

On any team, there are voices that are not heard often. These could be individuals who are introverted, less confident, or simply overlooked. As a leader, it’s your responsibility to identify these voices and actively seek their input. This not only makes them feel valued and included but also brings diverse perspectives to the table, leading to better decision-making and problem-solving.

Amplifying unheard voices is about creating an inclusive team environment where everyone’s ideas are considered and valued. It’s about recognizing and valuing the unique contributions that each team member brings to the table. By amplifying unheard voices, you foster a culture of inclusivity and mutual respect, which is key to building psychological safety.

Building psychological safety at work is crucial for high performance. It’s about building trust and respect, which contribute to a climate of safety. By admitting weaknesses as a leader, asking for feedback regularly, celebrating failures, and amplifying unheard voices, you can foster that climate on your team. This will lead to higher performance, better team dynamics, and a more positive and inclusive work environment—one that helps everyone do their best work ever.

Image credit: Pexels

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on November 13, 2023

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Six Key Habits of Great Leaders

Six Key Habits of Great Leaders

GUEST POST from David Burkus

In a world of growing complexity and seemingly constant crisis, we need great leaders more than ever. But when you look at the stories in the press or check the staggering numbers of burnout and disengagement in surveys, it seems like fewer and fewer leaders are rising to the challenge. It starts to seem like becoming a great leader is too complicated and nearly impossible.

But when you survey people on what makes them appreciate and follow leaders, it turns out there are just a few simple habits that set great leaders apart. Simple, but not necessarily easy.

In this article, we will explore what great leaders do across six key habits that make them influential and their teams successful.

1. Promote Purpose

The first habit great leaders do is to promote purpose. Great leaders understand the importance of connecting the larger organizational purpose to specific projects and tasks. They are able to do more than regurgitate the mission statement of the organization. They can draw a connection between the organizational purpose and the work of their specific team. In doing so, they inspire their team members to see the bigger picture and understand how their contributions align with the overall goals. Furthermore, great leaders shift the conversation towards “who” benefits from the work and promote pro-social purpose. This helps team members feel a sense of fulfillment and motivation in their work, knowing that they are making a positive impact.

2. Clarify Vision

The second habit great leaders do is to clarify vision. A clear vision is crucial for the success of any organization, and great leaders excel at explaining what success looks like and where the organization is heading. They are able to paint a vivid picture of the world or the specific people the organization serves and what it will look like when the vision is achieved. Even when plans change, great leaders provide a clear vision of what a good job looks like. They use the concept of “commander’s intent” to communicate the vision of a successful mission, ensuring that even in constant turmoil, everyone understands the desired outcome and can align their efforts accordingly.

3. Create Accountability

The third habit great leaders do is to create accountability. Great leaders understand the importance of holding people accountable to their jobs and calling them up to a higher standard. They ensure that individuals are held accountable to the result, not just the tasks. By providing the necessary resources for individuals to achieve their goals, great leaders empower their team members to take ownership of their work and deliver exceptional results. Leaders provide autonomy to team members, allowing them to decide how the work gets done. But they’re also reminding everyone on the team that autonomy means greater accountability to the team, not less. They are leaders who hold their team to a higher standard and encourage them to perform even greater.

4. Provide Fair Feedback

The fourth habit great leaders do is provide fair feedback. Feedback is a crucial tool for growth and development, and great leaders excel at providing fair feedback. They tailor their feedback to the individual’s situation, skills, resources, and accountability goals. Great leaders give feedback that is in equal proportion of positive to negative, focusing on building upon the great things. Poor leaders often spend most of their coaching time on constructive criticism—which can be demotivating and decrease performance. Instead, great leaders create a balance between appreciation and constructive criticism to motivate and improve performance, ensuring that team members feel valued and supported in their professional growth.

5. Build Safety

The fifth habit great leaders do is to build safety, as in psychological safety. A psychologically safe environment is essential for fostering innovation and growth, and great leaders understand this. They provide feedback in a way that does not blame individuals for things outside of their control, encouraging transparent and honest conversations about failures to extract lessons and improve. By establishing a culture of safety, great leaders create an atmosphere where team members feel comfortable taking risks and learning from their mistakes. This leads to increased creativity, collaboration, and ultimately, success.

6. Develop Oneself

The final habit great leaders do is to develop themselves. Great leaders recognize the importance of continuous learning and self-improvement. They take responsibility for developing themselves as well as others. With a growth mindset, they actively seek out new information and skills, constantly striving to become better leaders. Great leaders understand that they need to develop themselves in the areas that their team needs in order to be better leaders. By investing in their own growth, they set an example for their team members and inspire them to also pursue personal and professional development.

The habits discussed in this article are what make great leaders worth following. They’re simple, but not necessarily easy. And they need to be done on a regular basis. But great leaders understand the importance of these habits and strive to incorporate them into their leadership style. By promoting purpose, clarifying vision, creating accountability, providing fair feedback, building safety, and developing oneself, leaders can inspire their teams to do their best work ever.

Image credit: Pixabay

Originally published on DavidBurkus.com on August 21, 2023

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