How to create a psychologically safe working environment

Inspired by my own life experiences, I outlined in my last article titled Five reasons to leap out of your comfort zone (Feb 2021), the reasons why getting out of your comfort zone is essential. As promised, in this article I share my insights on how we as leaders, can – and should – create a work environment where, thinking out of the box and getting out of your comfort zone are encouraged and nurtured.

Collaboration, coordination, and teamwork are widely accepted nowadays as necessary components in a productive workplace. I would argue that these require a psychologically safe working environment and a culture of trust to come alive and provide your organization with a powerful competitive edge. One can hire the best talent out there, but, if the working environment is ‘toxic’, all that talent is wasted. 

A toxic environment is one where fear, anxiety and distress prevail. Due to fear, employees will not share their ideas, will not ask the important and relevant questions, will not examine concepts or processes, and simply will not speak up. This will certainly kill creativity, innovation and hence growth potential. 

Undeniably fear is not an effective motivator and will reduce productivity levels – especially nowadays where competition is fierce, and organizations need to keep developing their most important resource, their employees.

However, fear should not be confused with a healthy level of anxiety – the anxiety we feel when we step out of our comfort zone on the eve of a special project or a professional challenge, that requires that we take certain risks . . . this anxiety is wholesome and drives personal growth. Fear does not. 

‘Psychological safety’ and ‘trust’ are the most crucial characteristics of a thriving work environment, and they explain the differences in performance in workplaces. High trust, fearless organizations outperform low-trust, fearful organizations any day of the week. They bring the best in people and change the dynamic of interaction in a working environment. 

 As global leaders, it is our responsibility to eradicate fear from our workplace and nurture a culture of trust. So how do we go about developing a psychologically safe working environment and a culture of trust? Where do we start? 

My framework!

Throughout my career I lived and worked in countries with tremendous cultural differences, beliefs, and value systems. I interacted with many colleagues from all walks of life, backgrounds, and experiences. And I have seen many forms of fear in the workplace. None of them are healthy, trust me.

My experiences also confirm that psychological safety in the workplace, is lower in countries where differences in class structures are material and considered important. In these societies it is widely accepted that power and opportunities are distributed unequally between social stratifications. And people are always conscious of their hierarchical position in any social or business setting and act accordingly.

However, this does not mean you cannot create a culture of trust and psychological safety. It will be much harder, as you will be sailing against cultural streams, but it can be done and is worth the effort! 

Whether I was in Europe, USA, Russia, the Middle East, Africa or Asia, leaders who were inclusive, approachable, and accessible, leaders who acknowledged their weaknesses and proactively welcomed feedback from others, were those who created a fearless work environment and had by far the best business results.

So, drawing from my own personal experiences and research, I would like to share with you a framework, which I have developed and nurtured over the years and has been effective – for me – in creating a psychologically safe working environment.

This framework consists of four components. Although I suggest a flow to follow, please bear in mind that creating psychological safety in the workplace is a journey, not a destination, which implies the framework’s dynamic and fragile nature. As such, the four components become interlinked, interrelated and interconnected . . . and naturally they influence and impact each other.

Build relationships . . . show genuine care.

First, we must lay the foundation and prepare the ground for fertile, honest conversations and exchange of ideas. How? Start by building relationships with your team. Show them appreciation, gratitude, and genuine care! When your team sees and feels that you sincerely care about them, not just in their capacity as employees, but as people and as friends, fear will start to evaporate. 

Theodore Roosevelt’s timely quote sums it up nicely . . . “Nobody cares how much you know, until they know how much you care!”

I strongly believe this is truly the foundation to build on a fearless and trusting organization. There is nothing more powerful than making sure you let people know how much you trust them and appreciate the work they do. Do you recall in your career how you felt when your boss assigned a task and told you: “You can do this! I believe in you! I trust you!”?  Only hearing those words meant half the job is done already. Appreciation, gratitude, and care create a ‘safe-hub’ and represent the highest form of motivation. 

This has been my ‘mantra’ throughout my working career. It is my second nature! I build lasting, caring, and sincere friendships with my workmates! I try to pass this message to my teams again and again (and again), in every opportunity I have.  It sounds counter-intuitive, but you need to first establish a safe zone of trust to allow your teams to step out of their comfort zone.    

Lead with purpose . . . create a shared vision.

Once you build the relationship make sure you remove ambiguity and clearly articulate the ‘plan’, that is, the objectives, the deliverables, the goals, whether they are long term, strategic, annual, or specific for a project. Set the context, frame the task ahead, break it down into manageable parts, and explain the challenge your team is up against. People need to understand the why before the what of the work ahead.

Create an atmosphere of shared vision/direction and meaningful expectations. When we work, we invest our most precious life asset, our time; therefore, we must be lead with purpose. 

Understanding the purpose of the work is critical in maintaining a fearless and motivated workforce. Fear is often spread into a workplace when the plan of action is not clear or widely understood. When there is confusion on the goals and deliverables we are after, people will start to speculate and gossip, then they will become disillusioned, defensive, and eventually combative and demotivated. 

Inspiring people by articulating a compelling purpose is a well-established leadership responsibility! The fulfillment that comes from collaborating and working as a team to deliver a common vision and achieve an inspiring goal is priceless!  

Encourage engagement . . . participation and involvement.

By now your team feels appreciated, trusted and safe, and has a common purpose. The next component is to get your team engaged and excited! Encourage participation and involvement! How?

Be organized - Set up transparent structures and follow a clear process - when discussing a project come prepared, have an agenda and a project plan. Ideally share the agenda in advance, and even better, let every team member be responsible for a different agenda item to make your team meeting interactive. 

Create a sense of urgency - People are far more likely to participate if they feel a sense of urgency. But do not micromanage and dare to delegate . . . let go and trust your team. Unknowingly this will be a big step out of your comfort zone. Do not breathe down their neck, give them room to operate and perform. 

Be an active listener - Real listening transmits respect and in a very effective way, encourages people to share more. Take it all in and ask clarifying questions to learn more about the issue/situation at hand. This does not imply by any means that you must agree with what is being said, but the team members’ courage and initiative to speak up and share must be acknowledged, recognized and encouraged. 

Be willing to say “I don’t know” when you do not have an answer - In other words, adopt a mindset of learning and situational humility. Asking questions does not make a leader appear weak, rather he/she appears intellectually curious, interested in what has been said, thoughtful and wise. In so doing you are creating a safe space that helps others offer their thinking. Questions generate discussion which in turn create energy, creativity, a common purpose, and lead to solutions by consensus.

Be willing to say “I need help” - No one wants to take the risk of sharing thoughts and ideas when the boss appears to know everything and has the answer to all questions. An open mindset allows the exchange of new ideas as it implicitly recognizes that there is always room to learn. 

For me this comes naturally, and it works so well when I ‘open the floor’ to suggestions and ideas. I am willing to acknowledge my limitations and learn from my subordinates – Yes, I learn every day from my team members and that keeps my job interesting. I must admit it is sometimes a struggle to keep up with those millennials, but it pushes me to continue learning and remain relevant. And my team feels appreciated, remains motivated and engaged!

The reassurance that every voice/opinion counts and is appreciated builds confidence and sets the stage for the final component in my framework:

React constructively . . . respond mindfully.

Along the way you need to be very mindful of how you respond and react to the various situations you face as a leader. Like it or not, you are scrutinized and closely observed; your actions, comments and expressions are watched, judged, and set the tone.

Your first reaction is of paramount importance, especially in a negative situation. It is pivotal that you do not react negatively to bad news – if you do, you will immediately create fear. If you instill fear in the messenger, they will never bring future issues to your attention. 

Respond constructively and with mindfulness – acknowledge the situation, thank them for bringing it to your attention, explain that is not their fault and commit to finding a solution together. If it is indeed their fault, address it later, in private, when the spirits are calm, and the issue has been resolved or mitigated. 

At the same time, be open to criticism – easier said than done, I know! This is a tough one to master but it is so important. Admit your own mistakes openly. Be willing to say, “I’m sorry”. Allow your team to see that you are not perfect and that you are open to constructive criticism. Be vulnerable and open yourself up. By doing so, you give permission to others to do the same.

Ask for feedback from your team as their leader and find out where you need to improve. Demonstrate by example how you can reflect, grow, and learn from your mistakes. In this way, you destigmatize mistakes and failures. You teach your team, that it is ok to make a mistake. It is safe!

This concludes my framework!

In closing, I urge you to focus on creating a workplace where people feel free to bring their best selves to work. As the framework illustrated, psychological safety is fragile and needs constant reinforcement and reconfirmation. It is an ever-changing process which requires continuous adjustments. For example, it will certainly change if a new ‘boss is in town’ or in the face of a new circumstance, such as the current pandemic.  It is an arduous struggle on a slippery road. 

Recently “whistle-blowing” policies have been strengthening in organizations across the globe. But this does not mean that we are improving the psychological safety in the workplace. The mere existence of such concepts, and for that matter, of movements like “#Me-too” are manifestations of the absence of a safe environment and a culture of trust. If psychological safe work environments existed and were prevalent, these concepts and movements would not be necessary as people would not be afraid to speak up, to have their voices heard, and their concerns addressed.

While a big part of the responsibility lies with senior leadership, each one of us can make a difference by implementing this framework with our teams. Constructing a safe harbor within your team, creating a pocket of trust, and developing a learning mindset is priceless, no matter what senior leadership is doing. 

And remember, like many worth-while processes in life, driving fear out and creating psychological safety is a journey not a destination. Commit to the purpose and start . . . one step, one task, one correction at a time. This could be your legacy!