We don’t normally think of safety as being so important, but, as it turns out, safety is one of the main pillars upon which healthy, thriving and highly efficient teams are built.
A feeling of safety goes hand-in-hand with vulnerability and, as leaders, we must model this first if we want great teams. If we want to create safe environments, we must first model the behavior we want from others.
It can be risky and at times uncomfortable, but the cost-benefit analysis is huge.
We need to model safety and vulnerability by inviting feedback from our team, asking for their opinions and ideas, encouraging complete candor in group discussions, admitting our mistakes, and being open about our weaknesses.
As Daniel Coyle states in his book The Culture Code, “Safety is the foundation on which strong culture is built.”
He challenges his readers to, “Spotlight your fallibilities early on. Especially if you are a leader. We all have a natural tendency in conversations to hide our weaknesses and appear competent. If you want to create safety, this is exactly the wrong move. Instead, you should open up, show that you make mistakes and invite input.”
So, this week, think about how you can practically build a stronger sense of safety within your team dynamics.
Does your team need to learn more about the importance of safety on teams? Phillip is available for group training on this topic. Learn more about his presentations.
