Psychological safety is one of the shared beliefs and values that must be present in every team. It is the belief that any worker or team member will not be punished or humiliated while speaking up for any beliefs, ideas, questions, or mistakes.
As a leader holding people accountable for performance metrics is your responsibility but it doesn't end there. You also have to make sure your employees feel safe so that it can lead to risk-taking behavior. Here are the top 6 ways to build psychological safety in the workplace –
1. Avoid blaming
When something bad happens, it is easy to shift the blame on others and get rid of the responsibility. But as result, the trust that promoted psychological safety to your team members will be broken. So instead of asking "why did it happen?" or "who is responsible for the bad performance?" focus on asking "how can we make sure this goes differently next time?". This will lead to better outcomes and easy solutions, and you can also keep the trust and show them that you support your employees and get their back.
2. Become self-aware
This is the number one rule that makes a man successful and he needs to be self-aware. There is nothing more empowering than knowing your limits and flaws and accepting them to perform better afterward. This is the mentality that your team will need when it comes to making themselves better and feeling safe. So become self-aware in the workplace and promote the same to your team members.
3. Mitigate negativity
Make sure your team is free of negativity. Now it is next to impossible to completely stop any rumors in the workplace, but if you know any team member is speaking negatively about others, you need to stand clear and end it. As a leader, when you are allowing negativity to stand, it will spread among your team members as well and destroy the unity and bond.
4. Accept feedback
When you are working as a team, everyone's position is at the same level. Even if you are a manager, you need to be accepting and open to feedback. This will not only make your team members feel included but also respected and valued. When your team will feel like their opinions matter, they will be more productive and take risks to make the results even better.
5. Include your team members in the decision-making
It is another important and extremely effective way to create a safe environment for your workers. When you are making a decision, no matter if it's small or big, always include your team members. It will make your team members feel valued, and included and create a sense of trust between your team and yourself. It might also lead to better outcomes as you have already made yourself available and open to feedback. After taking the decision, explain the reasoning behind it and how the feedback of your team members alters or impacts your decision.
6. Extend your support
Last but not the least, you need to show that you are supportive of your team and its performance. You need to let them know that you are on their side by appreciating their personal and professional development. You can also share the team's achievements with the senior management to make it visible and give the due credit to your team members.
To conclude, you can see better results in employee performance when you present them with a safe workplace to work in where they will no longer be afraid of humiliation or disrespect.
