Psychological safety isn’t just ‘nice to have’ within an organization. It plays a big role in decision making, healthy relationships, greater innovation and effective execution.

Need the data to back up why it’s important? According to Accenture, organizations that prioritize psychological safety enjoy:

• 76% more employee engagement
• 74% less employee stress
• 50% more productivity
• 27% reduction in employee turnover

Here’s what psychological safety is not: It’s not about “being nice” or creating an environment where people have to feel comfortable all the time. Taking risks can make people feel like they’re out of their comfort zone. Mistakes happen and need to be pointed out in order for learning to take place. The key is that these risks and mistakes happen in a safe environment.

So, how do leaders cultivate a psychologically safe workplace? Here are 5 ways to get started:

• Listen to feedback – and implement it: Commit to active listening (giving your full attention and summarizing what was shared) to understand team members’ feedback. And if it’s worth implementing, make sure you actually do it!
• Avoid pointing fingers: Team members won’t want to take risks or try new things if they think they’ll shoulder the blame if things don’t pan out.
• Model the behavior you want your team to emulate: Sharing your own mistakes and what you learned from them and asking thought-provoking questions in team meetings are a few ways to grow a more supportive culture.
• Advocate for your team: Be their champion and have their back, especially with fellow leaders.
• Celebrate lessons learned as much as you celebrate wins: Normalize having regular team meetings where you look back at recent milestones. Talk honestly about what went well and where you can improve.

It’s tempting to write off psychological safety as a feel-good, buzzworthy term that’s more focused on employee emotions than actual effectiveness. But plenty of research shows it isn’t a “woo-woo” concept. Psychological safety has real, measurable impacts! Leah M Joppy and Associates offers a fresh approach and perspective, combined with experience tackling all different types of employee disengagement issues, to help you jumpstart your team’s motivation!

Call us at 301-351-9523 or email us at leah@lmja.com to learn more.