How psychological safety can disempower people

“I think we need to create a more comfortable environment so employees feel psychologically safe to speak their minds and offer their ideas.”

If I had a dollar for every time I heard that idea on how to empower leaders I would be a rich man.?

It’s not that there isn’t any truth to this idea. There is. But the best way to EMPOWER people to speak their minds is to EQUIP them to do so effectively. You don’t make people stronger by making their environment softer.?

I shared a story that showcases this perfectly in my Todd Talk, How Empowering Leaders Disempower Their People .

We can also admit that empowerment is a bit of a buzzword in our field. Everyone is asking how they can improve it to get people to take greater personal responsibility within their organizations.?

Though creating psychological safety is often the go-to answer, putting that as the focus shifts the responsibility from the employee to the manager—and anytime you take responsibility from one person and put it on another you’ve disempowered that individual.?

So your very answer to empowerment may actually disempower your people!?

I want to hear from on this issue! What examples have you seen in your career where efforts to empower people backfired… or when they worked? Join the conversation on LinkedIn as there are incredibly valuable lessons to be learned from each other!