Creating Psychological Safety: It Starts with You (中文內容隨後）

Creating Psychological Safety: It Starts with You

In today’s business environment, one of the most commonly discussed elements of team culture is psychological safety. It’s a term I frequently hear in my trainings when speaking with leaders about fostering an environment where people can thrive. When psychological safety is high, employees feel free to be themselves. They are willing to voice their ideas, take calculated risks, and even challenge the standard of excellence without fear of judgment. They are also open to receiving feedback because they don’t see it as an attack but as an opportunity for growth.

(If you want to dive deeper into this topic, I recommend researching the work of Amy Edmondson, a leading expert on psychological safety.)

However, here’s the reality: don’t expect your company to create psychological safety for you. It’s not something you can rely on others to establish because you don’t have control over what others do. Instead, focus on what you can control – your own actions.

Be the change that creates psychological safety. Start by treating others well. Build trust by being authentic and approachable, creating a personal sense of safety. This is entirely within your control. When you interact with others, train yourself to listen not to respond, but to understand. Avoid rushing to judgment about who’s right or wrong or who has the better idea. Focus instead on fully comprehending the other person’s perspective.

When people feel heard, they are far more open to your ideas. And if your idea is genuinely better, you won’t need to convince them – they’ll buy into it on their own. Likewise, when it’s your turn to share, don’t hesitate out of fear of how your vulnerability might be perceived. Sharing vulnerability is a sign of confidence and strength. Trust that the people around you aren’t looking to judge or criticize you for showing your authentic self.

Relationships are built over time, not in one-off moments of judgment. If someone does judge you unfairly in an isolated moment, they likely don’t belong in your world. By embodying these behaviors, you’ll create an atmosphere of psychological safety for those who work closely with you. And when they feel safe, they’ll treat others differently – positively.

This influence will ripple outward. As more people experience this shift, they’ll begin treating others better, creating a cycle of positive influence. Eventually, no one will worry about who’s responsible for building the culture because everyone will be. The culture of safety, trust, and collaboration grows organically when each person takes responsibility for their own actions.

Remember, culture isn’t something others create for you – it starts with each of us. So, rather than focusing on how to build the perfect company culture, concentrate on how you treat people. This is the most powerful and impactful thing you can do.

營造心理安全感：從你開始

在當今的商業環境中，心理安全感是團隊文化中經常被討論的一個重要元素。這是我在培訓中與領導者討論如何打造一個讓員工茁壯成長的環境時經常聽到的術語。當團隊中有高度的心理安全感時，員工能夠自在地做自己。他們願意提出想法，敢於承擔計算過的風險，甚至不懼怕挑戰卓越的標準。他們也能更好地接受反饋，因為他們不會將反饋視為攻擊，而是作為成長的機會。

（如果你想深入了解這個話題，我建議你研究一下Amy Edmondson，她是心理安全感領域的領先專家。）

然而，現實是：不要指望公司為你創造心理安全感。你不能依賴他人來建立這種氛圍，因為你無法控制別人。相反，專注於你可以控制的——自己的行動。

成為那個改變的人，從你開始為他人創造心理安全感。首先，善待他人。通過真誠和容易接近來建立信任，創造你個人的安全感。這是你完全能夠控制的。當你與他人互動時，訓練自己傾聽不是為了回應，而是為了理解。避免急於判斷誰對誰錯，或者誰的想法更好。相反，專注於完全理解對方的觀點。?

當人們感受到被傾聽時，他們會更加願意接受你的想法。而如果你的想法確實更好，你不需要費力說服他們，他們自然會接受。同樣，當你分享自己的觀點時，不要因為擔心別人如何看待你的脆弱而猶豫。分享脆弱其實是一種自信和力量的表現。相信周圍的人不會輕易對你評頭論足或進行攻擊。

人際關係是一個漸進的過程，不是一時的判斷。如果有人在某一時刻對你不公正地評判，那他們可能根本不屬於你的世界。通過踐行這些行為，你將為與你緊密合作的人創造一個心理安全感的氛圍。而當他們感到安全時，他們會以不同的方式——更加積極地對待他人。

這種影響將如漣漪般向外擴散。隨著更多人體驗到這種變化，他們會開始以更好的方式對待他人，形成一個正向影響的循環。最終，沒有人會擔心誰來構建這種文化，因為每個人都是文化的創造者。安全、信任和協作的文化自然而然地增長，每個人都對自己的行為負責。

記住，文化不是由他人創造的——它從我們每個人開始。所以，與其想着如何打造完美的公司文化，不如集中精力於如何善待他人。這是你能夠做的最有力量、最具影響力的事情。