SAFETY FIRST!
WHAT IS PSYCHOLOGICAL SAFETY AND WHY IS IT IMPORTANT IN THE WORKPLACE? By Julia Kerr Henkel, Executive Coach and MD of Lumminos
You may have made it through
2020 as a successful team leader,
of proportion, overreacting or even
Often, when under pressure, we
withdrawing, resigning and giving up.
perceive a higher level of threat or
how do you know if your team is
On the contrary, when people feel safe,
off and we operate from our limbic
forge ahead into another trying
curious, willing to collaborate and find
despite all the challenges, but
feeling safe and engaged as we year? Psychological safety is a
key ingredient for high performing,
they are more likely to be open, calm, win-win solutions.
effective and happy teams.
FIRST THINGS FIRST
When people feel unsafe, they tend
create a sense of safety in yourself
to engage in less helpful, more basic behaviours, such as being negative, blaming others, needing to be right,
catastrophising by blowing things out
Your first priority as a leader, is to
- like the metaphor of securing your
own oxygen mask first before assisting
other passengers in the event of a loss of cabin pressure on an aeroplane.
88 S TANDARD BANK TO P W O M EN LEADERS
danger and our thinking brain switches brain, kicking in the fight, flight, freeze
reflex. When we feel safe, our thinking brains are switched on and we can be
resourceful, creative and analytical. This is why mindfulness - described as the ability to create perspective and calm
while managing emotional reactivity - is key, as it trains you to remain relaxed
and calm, yet still alert and attentive to
what is going on. For example, by using breathing techniques, or slowing down
