Psychological safety in the workplace….

We suspect that some business owners and managers have misunderstood what psychological safety in the workplace means.
 
During the worst days of the pandemic lockdowns, there was a surge in focus on workers’ mental health, which led to a lot of advice being published about psychological safety. We think that was a very good thing, but we also think there’s been some well-intentioned misinterpretation.
 
Psychological safety in the workplace is NOT just being “nice” to everyone, potentially creating a situation that robs managers and supervisors of their ability to manage performance.
 
We believe managers need to aim for that fine balance that the best elite sports coaches achieve.
 
It looks like this. Creating safe space for people to make mistakes or speak up about doubts, fears and issues (i.e. psychological safety) whilst always holding them accountable for their own performance, and never accepting lame excuses.
 
As we once heard a senior executive say, “Failure with a good excuse is still failure. What are you going to do about it?”
 
Achieving this delicate balance doesn’t come naturally to every manager and supervisor so sometimes a little outside help can make a huge difference.
 
Want to know how King&Co. can help your leaders at every level boost performance positively? Give us a call.