Google's psychological safety
The Daily Drip
In 2012, Google wanted to know why some of their teams significantly outperformed the others.
So they hired a consulting company, and a hundred new college-grads parachuted in to conduct hundreds of interviews, and guess what?
They found out that the highest performing teams scored very high in "psychological safety."
Now, before you "John Wayne" me and tell me that this is some silly, fluffy, Kumbaya nonsense . . . let me clarify what psychological safety means.
Psychological safety just means that your team feels comfortable speaking up without repercussions like being fired, laughed at, or criticized. It means that your team can show up with just an idea and not fear the torrent of dissent about the impracticality and inherent risks.
(It's an idea. Not a plan.)
This is a small example of what psychological safety means.
In general, it means "how honest is your team communication?"
Here are some questions that Gallup came up with to help you create more honest conversations on your team. It's only if we're open and honest that good ideas can become solid action.
What can we count on each other for?
What is our team's purpose?
What is the reputation we aspire to have?
What do we need to do differently to achieve that reputation and fulfill our purpose?