LeadUP! Conversations introduce the exciting ideas and innovative work of leaders, authors, creatives, entrepreneurs, and changemakers who seek to make a difference in our world. Guests often showcase the power of a pivot in their own journey.
Dr. Kathryn Bingham, founder of LEADistics, interviews Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman, authors of The Psychological Safety Playbook during this LeadUP! Conversation. They discuss the importance of creating a psychologically safe workplace, defined by Amy Edmondson of Harvard as “an atmosphere where one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” Minette shares her experience of witnessing the power of psychological safety, when people felt free to speak up, challenge, dissent, and share their crazy and wild ideas. Karolin emphasizes the difference between high and low psychological safety in various teams and client organizations.
The discussion revolves around the signs that a workplace or any group would benefit from creating psychological safety. Minette and Karolin suggest that a good place to start is observing what happens in group interactions during in-person and virtual meetings. For example:
- Do a couple people dominate?
- Do any participants hold back?
- Are certain speakers dismissed or ignored?
- What ideas are accepted or rejected and how?
The authors introduce the five “plays,” each aligned with a chapter: - Communicate Courageously,
- Master the Art of Listening,
- Managing Your Reactions,
- Embrace Risk and Failure, and
- Design Inclusive Rituals.
Use of the word “plays” is intentional. The book is structured to be playful, with five tangible actions suggested for each chapter that can be read and applied in any order.
Kathryn, Karolin, and Minette discuss the transferability of the skills in the book. Leaders at any level may focus on creating psychological safety in different contexts such as families, communities, and places of worship. They also touch on the importance of having skills to share dissent in a way that doesn’t attack others. The discussion emphasizes the importance of mastering the art of listening and disentangling understanding and agreeing. The Psychological Safety Playbook provides a practical guide for implementing psychological safety in any workplace.
Dr. Kathryn Bingham specializes in transitions, including embracing a reinvent/redesign/pivot in life and work. She supports people in finding the path to living dreams today and not “someday,” and integrating personal and professional goals without sacrificing sanity and serenity. As founder and CEO of LEADistics LLC, she provides leadership development and coaching to individuals, teams, and organizations. Based in Mount Pleasant, SC, LEADistics is a woman and veteran owned small business. Dr. Bingham is also the author of Driving Pink.
For more details visit the YouTube video page.