Psychological safety score = 5 out of 5 (almost)

I asked a team I worth with to take a simple psychological safety assessment recently. It was some simple! I described what psychological safety was, gave them a scale of 1 to 5 (5 = 100% safe and 1 = it’s terrible) and asked them to write their score anonymously on a scrap of paper, fold it over and give it to me. See the picture below for results! Amazing!

Why this score? Many reasons I suspect, including: a leader who genuinely cares, spending time together having fun and appreciating the strengths and value each team member brings to the collective. Intentionally encouraging a safe environment is important too, and that’s where a team coach can help – opening up conversations, encouraging curiosity and role modelling.

If you’d like to know more about creating psychologically safe environments, please get in touch. I’d love to chat about it.

(BTW psychological safety = feeling safe to take interpersonal risks in a team. To speak up, to disagree openly, to surface concerns without fear of negative repercussions. Saying what you want to say and being yourself!)

Discombobulation!

This time last week - feeling discombobulated - in the spur of the moment - I took the day off. Let's call it a mental health day. I ventured out of the city, away from my desk, away from screens, and spent the day exploring beach and national park areas I'd never visited before. It felt so good!

Just as builder's houses are often a shambles, and doctors make the worst patients, those of us who support others sometimes deprioritise looking after ourselves. 

I was reminded last week how important it is to replenish and top-up reserves, BEFORE I NEED THEM! Hope you're making whatever it is you do to keep yourself sane it a priority 🙂.

High performing teams don't come by accident!

Spent some time yesterday at Massey University talking to new MBA students about the importance of investing time up front when teams are formed. Agreeing how they work together, clarifying common purpose, maximising strengths, assigning clear roles, how disagreements will be resolved, and how success will be celebrated. Wish someone supported me with this when I did by MBA - the group work was a nightmare!

Thanks Patricia Bossons PhD CPsychol for including me in your MBA guest speaker line up!