Is your business stagnating?
"The minute we start discounting someone as a number, as a product of their efforts, we don't see them as human." — Craig Handy
The Question: How do you avoid stagnation as a startup?
In this information age and the recent shift to the digital space, never has it been easier to start a business.
What is an exciting time for entrepreneurs and leaders alike - they must also remember -?never has it been easier to start a business.
This can also mean the increased potential for competition.
So, how do you avoid stagnation as a startup and encourage more innovation on your team?
The Research
To answer this question we first turn to tech giant, Google with?Project Aristotle, where they sought to find what builds the perfect team by studying over 180 teams.
They found it wasn't any particular team composition, or certain personalities, motivations, or educational backgrounds that underpinned successful teams.
Rather, the practice of psychological safety was the consistent linchpin to making a high-performing team.
Psychological safety?is defined as an individual’s perception of the consequences of taking risks and being vulnerable in front of their teammates.
In other words, psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be punished when you mess up.
Some Advice
Psychological safety is a practice that can seem quite elusive due to its intangible nature. So how do you foster it in your own work environment? And what does it have to do with startup stagnation and innovation?
Growth isn't always linear, and teams that are predisposed to innovate, are teams that are willing to risk and fail.
The best teams don't just fail, they?fail smart. And that is where psychological safety becomes key.
Craig Handy, Shopify Team Lead and the Founder of Jameson Strategies Consulting shares his personal story and experience with psychological safety in his professional growth on the Unicorn Leaders Podcast.
You can watch the full interview which goes more in-depth below??
Your Hack
This week your hack is to?encourage your team to?fail smart.
This means you need to normalize and encourage your team members to talk about failures and mistakes.
To innovate - your team needs to take risks. And whether they payoff or not, becomes the wrong type of question to ask.
Because every risk taken is a learning opportunity.
If it was successful - you document it for next time to potentially repeat.
If it was unsuccessful - you document it for next time to either adjust and pivot or avoid altogether.
A highly effective team, and an innovative one at that, will always seek to learn from failure.
But without psychological safety, people fear admitting mistakes and are less likely to openly share ideas.
It becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy where the heart of decision-making stems from group dynamics and ironically pursuing the path of perceived personal "safety".
Doing whatever gets them least noticed, and least likely to be reprimanded for a misstep off-course.
These are the symptoms of a stagnating business.
Individuals become shackled to fear and must assume a "work face" to be perceived in control.
As leaders we may do much of the same, prohibiting ourselves to be uncertain, sharing the things that scare us, or having difficult conversations.
They too take these group norms on and perpetuate the cycle onwards.
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Parting Thoughts
Although approaches to spark innovation are far from few, most of them assume a productive team effort.
Collaboration, risk-taking, and purposeful goal setting for a common vision only work as far as a team's foundational trust in one another is backed up by the invisible cloak of psychological safety.
It takes intentional teamwork to maintain this cloak and reinforce the larger group norms.
As ambiguous as that sounds, revel in the thought that it does not take grandiose gestures to keep it up.
But it can start as simple as allowing yourself and your team to be themselves. To be imperfect. To be seen, supported and understood, without judgement.
Gift your team that freedom and watch them and your business flourish for the better.
Psychological safety is an essential foundation for any cohesive high-performing team. Learn more with our blog??
Unicorn Leaders — The Podcast
Have you heard the newest episodes!?
Our most recent podcast guests are trailblazers in the entrepreneurial world: Aydin Mirzaee & Cassy Aite.
???Aydin (Co-Founder and CEO of Fellow. APP and Creator of the SuperManagers Podcast)?talked about how managers can influence team performance and why receiving advice can be dangerous.
???Cassy (Co-Founder and CEO of Hoppier)?shared the importance of being genuine with employees and how recognizing an achievement can backfire if not done correctly.
Take a listen & subscribe ??
THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT
Sincerely,
The Unicorn Labs Team