I know that I do not know is the one thing that I know –
“The antidote to fear is trust… Trusting others doesn’t mean that they won’t make mistakes. It means that if they do (or if you do), you trust they will act to help solve it.”
—Ed Catmull, President of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, Creativity, Inc.
Over the past twenty years—the last ten of which I’ve spent in software development—I have worked with and managed creative teams. I’ve learned that a psychologically safe environment is fundamental to positive team culture; it supports a higher degree of collaboration, honest communication, innovative thinking, and faster solution finding toward shared goals. It is essential to building high-performing teams.
But you don’t need to trust my word alone; there is plenty of research and evidence out there, and at the end of this post I have included a couple of those resources.
What do I mean by psychological safety?
Psychological safety refers to an environment that enables you to comfortably be yourself—showcasing your strengths, your weaknesses, your passions, your quirks—without feeling threatened. A psychologically safe environment allows you to share opinions, to be heard, to know that you make a difference, and know that you are accepted.
In this environment, you can take risks and admit fault (or confess, as my team likes to say, that you “done-goofed”) without feeling that you will be shamed for it. This type of environment allows you to fail, to learn, to try again, and to grow. It means that criticism, blame, demeaning comments, judgement, comparison, and competition to be “right” are not accepted parts of team norms. Learning, getting things done together, and accomplishing shared goals are the priority.
The four cornerstones of psychological safety
I believe in an environment within which a team is able to succeed exceptionally, while at the same time being comfortable with co-workers and enjoying the work that they do. Though I am neither a researcher nor a psychologist, this aligns with what I have read and learned about the notion of psychological safety.
So I am going to use that term here as I outline what I consider to be, in the development of positive team culture, four cornerstones of psychological safety: a strong sense of team, positive intention, accountability, and trust.
1. Team
To be a team is to have a shared understanding of our goal, and a shared understanding that we are all working toward that same goal—an understanding that we are all in this together, and that mutual support is required. A strong team requires a shared vision, a shared sense of responsibility towards mistakes, problems, and solutions, and ultimately a shared sense of purpose.
This may seem basic, but in reality, many people are often put off by, or threatened by, the concept of a team. It goes against our perception of individual achievement and against the culture of many organizations, where the measure of an employee’s success is based on the individual not the team—and even more where an individual’s organizational growth and promotion occurs in direct comparison to others. Though I could offer opinion on the challenges of that style of organizational culture, the main point I want to make is that this perception, or reality, does not need to be an obstacle to our understanding and working as a team.
A strong sense of team doesn’t mean we all have the same job. It means we complement each other. It doesn’t mean that my accomplishments are your accomplishments. I can still accomplish great things, and be recognized for those accomplishments as an individual. It doesn’t mean that my mistakes are your mistakes either. I am still accountable for my mistakes. But it does mean that we succeed or fail together, and that it behooves us to then face challenges and solve issues together, whether those issues arise due to a miss by an individual or the team as a whole or even from factors outside of the team.
2. Intention
To create a strong team environment, we must always assume that our team members act with good intention. Sometimes we do good things, sometimes we make mistakes; we can disagree and argue, and even get frustrated. But at all times, we must assume that our co-workers’ intentions are good and aligned with the shared goals of the team.
The parallel to this is to always act with good intentions. This is true, but I’ve often found that it is our assumptions regarding the intentions of others that lie at the root of much conflict and misunderstanding. To build a positive environment, we must always start by assuming others’ intentions are good.
Mistakes rarely, if ever, occur due to bad intentions. If intention is assumed to be good, we can be much more accepting of the reality that mistakes occur. And a strong sense of team allows us to acknowledge that, even when mistakes happen and challenges occur, it is better that we work together towards a solution.
3. Accountability
Psychological safety is not all roses, singing in the rain, and confetti. We are also required to be accountable for ourselves, our work, and our performance, both as individuals and as a team. This means taking ownership of our mistakes—taking ownership for dropping the ball. But it also means that we can take ownership of our accomplishments.
If I make a mistake, I own it and I admit it. If my team member or my client lets me know that I made a mistake or missed a priority, I own it and resolve to fix it. If we miss a deadline as a team, we own it. On the other hand, if I, or we as a team, accomplish a good thing, we own that too, and we recognize that accomplishment.
Mistakes do happen, miscommunication happens, bugs occur, things get delayed. It is not always easy, but it is important at those times that we, as individuals and as a team, are accountable. This is the only way we can learn and improve. The first two cornerstones are critical in allowing this to happen.
4. Trust
Trust is fundamental to an environment of psychological safety. Trust is built upon, and grows from, the three cornerstones I laid out above. Trust is an interesting concept in a business environment. It is not often talked about, but it is more than the classic “trust” fall found on outward-bound style business retreats, where you stand on a stump and let yourself fall back into the arms of your co-workers.
When I am using the word trust here, I am referring to something a bit deeper. It’s trust that my team members support me, trust that my team members respect me, that we share the same goal. I trust that my team members pose no threat to me, will not demean me, are well intentioned, and will support and help me. And, I have trust in myself that I will offer to my team that same level of support.
A safe team is a great team
A psychologically safe environment creates a positive team culture and is a key quality of great teams. Throughout this year, I plan to provide more thoughts on why psychological safety is important, and what it actually looks like for a team. Meantime, here are two links to evidence and information on the merits of psychological safety.
Building a psychologically safe workplace | Amy Edmondson | TEDxHGSE
The Results of Google’s Team-Effectiveness Research Will Make You Rethink How You Build Teams
We need everybody …
So this post is not about Agile or Scrum, Change or Collaboration — I simply have a photo album to share and thought I’d post it here! … Especially given that I’ve not posted anything in over six months. There is a thing, right, about setting blog writing goals, once a week, once a day? <— I believe that I am failing in that.
I could make this post about Leadership, though, and dog training. I think that could be a thing. I’m currently reading, How to Make your Dog COME Without Being a BUTT-HEAD … we could write the book, How to Make your Team WORK Without Being a BUTT-HEAD : )
Anyway, my family volunteers with Appalachian Great Pyrenees Rescue, transporting dogs. We’ve got two Pyrs, my Mom has three, and I grew up in a household that raised multiple litters of Pyrenees pups. Below is an album of photos I took at AGPR’s PyrFest 2016. Enjoy!
This is the year of the Monkey on the Chinese calendar.
Sun Wukong, the Monkey King! I am a big fan, and he is a star in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West, published in the 16th century. But I knew him best watching the TV production while living in China in the late 80’s. My wife was also born in the year of the Monkey! We’re aiming for a good year – Hope you are too.
Art: Sun Wukong Battles Jade Rabbit (1889) by Tsukioka Yoshitoshi
from the series One Hundred Aspects of the Moon.
Copyright Trustees of the British Museum
Via the Internet I was introduced to someone yesterday — Tragically, just a few days after he died, in an accident while climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, though that manner of passing actually speaks volumes about his life and what I have learned about him since. He had guts.
I am talking about Scott Dinsmore, founder of Live Your Legend, and clearly an inspiration for thousands of individuals, likely hundreds of thousands. I wish I had “met” him sooner. But this is the thing of legends and connections via the web – in many ways, I can still get to know him, learn from him, be inspired by him. For that I am grateful, grateful to him, and grateful and intrigued by our connected world. And I am sorry for his wife, his family, and his friends, sorry for (though admittedly a little jealous of) those who knew him well and had the opportunity to spend time with him.
This video from his TEDx talk in San Francisco has been viewed, like, millions of times, but I’ll include it here as it remains a valuable message to anyone looking to live a life of meaning, purpose, self-direction, passion, courage, empathy, love — such was Scott’s life as I now read about and understand it.
Thank you, Scott.
Appreciation to Leo Babauta (zenhabits) for my introduction to Scott Dinsmore.
Another good eulogy from Chase Reeves: When an Internet Friend Dies
This is important to remember, and critical to success in business and life – I believe this. And I’ll take this validation from founder of Walmart:
Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.
Really, it is such an easy concept — But inevitably, lack of clarity remains one of the most prevalent obstacles to project, goal, and team success. Here are some general clarity obstacles I see time and time again:
- Lack of clarity around ownership
- Lack of clarity around the review process + who has final say
- Lack of clarity around who to go to when there is a question
- Lack of clarity + understanding of dependencies
- Lack of immediate (or asap) communication when there is a doubt around any of these
But let’s spin it positively!! Want success with your goals, your project, your team? Bring this on:
- Clarity around ownership
- Clarity around the review process + who has final say
- Clarity around who to go to when there is a question
- Clarity + understanding of dependencies
- Immediate (or asap) communication when there is a doubt around any of these
Want me to share/explain more about this? Reach out —
So, I have to confess that I am both behind on and yet a little ahead on my stated goal, 0.1 to Python in Three Months? I’m behind because I’m just not as far along in learning to write code as I had hoped — But I am a little ahead because I actually got the job which had inspired me to learn Python in the first place! I now serve in the role of Technical Project Manager for the Center for Open Science – great mission, great place, good people, and good opportunity for me to continue to learn. Entering now into 2015, I will continue to commit to learning to code in Python, and I’m grateful for the access to learning I now have : )
I recently read a Harvard Business Review Blog post by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, Research: 10 Traits of Innovative Leaders. I actually really like this list and will share it here, but I do have a couple qualifiers.
First off, let’s recognize that there are an uncountable number of lists out there claiming to distill “leadership” traits into an easily digestible number — not possible — Though, for my part, I do continue to read them when they crop up — and the many numbered lists do prompt thought and consideration around the “whats” and “hows” of leadership. My goal some day is to distill my own list, my own approach, down to a one thing.
Second: I wouldn’t relegate this particular list to only “Innovative” leaders. This is a good list for any leader, boss, manager, person responsible, person in charge. In this context, I am not even sure what “Innovative” means — Best clue is the first sentence which states, “Many organizations would like their leaders to create more innovative teams.” So what we are really talking about is “leaders of innovation” as opposed to “innovative leaders.” I would rephrase as, “Leaders of people (teams) working together to create something new, interesting, and valuable.”
What is most innovative, to me, about this particular list is that the authors went through the hard work of interviewing and understanding leaders, and leadership, from 360-degrees — gaining insight from people who surround these leaders, peers to bosses to direct reports.
Here’s their list, and I’ll leave it as my 2014 last word on “Leadership:”
- Display excellent strategic vision. The most effective innovation leaders could vividly describe their vision of the future, and as one respondent noted about his boss: “She excelled at painting a clear picture of the destination, while we worked to figure out how to get there.”
- Have a strong customer focus. What was merely interesting to the customer became fascinating to these individuals. They sought to get inside the customer’s mind. They networked with clients and asked incessant questions about their needs and wants.
- Create a climate of reciprocal trust. Innovation often requires some level of risk. Not all innovative ideas are successful. These highly innovative leaders initiated warm, collaborative relationships with the innovators who worked for them. They made themselves highly accessible. Colleagues knew that their leader would cover their backs and not throw them under the bus if something went wrong. People were never punished for honest mistakes.
- Display fearless loyalty to doing what’s right for the organization and customer. Pleasing the boss or some other higher level executive always took a back seat to doing the right thing for the project or the company.
- Put their faith in a culture that magnifies upward communication. These leaders believed that the best and most innovative ideas bubbled up from underneath. They strived to create a culture that uncorked good ideas from the first level of the organization. They were often described as projecting optimism, full of energy, and always receptive to new ideas. Grimness was replaced with kidding and laughter.
- Are persuasive. These individuals were highly effective in getting others to accept good ideas. They did not push or force their ideas onto their teams. Instead, they presented ideas with enthusiasm and conviction, and the team willingly followed.
- Excel at setting stretch goals. These goals required people to go far beyond just working harder. These goals required that they find new ways to achieve a high goal.
- Emphasize speed. These leaders believed that speed scraped the barnacles off the hull of the boat. Experiments and rapid prototypes were preferred to lengthy studies by large committees.
- Are candid in their communication. These leaders were described as providing honest, and at times even sometimes blunt, feedback. Subordinates felt they could always count on straight answers from their leader.
- Inspire and motivate through action. One respondent said, “For innovation to exist you have to feel inspired.” This comes from a clear sense of purpose and meaning in the work.
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