How can you, as a leader, ensure lasting well-being and performance in your team? In short, it's about setting the framework, inviting participation, and responding appropriately to input. Read more about the three steps.
By Christina Nielsen, Content Marketing Specialist at CfL, May 2024.
Have you experienced that you can assume different roles in social groups? This can happen both in your private life and at work.
Perhaps you have noticed that you change yourself to feel that you fit in better. If so, it may be because you (unconsciously) did not experience the group as safe, and therefore you tried to protect yourself. This is exactly how members of your team might also behave.
When this happens in a professional team, there is neither psychological safety nor a good team dynamic. Psychological safety is crucial for creating a healthy work culture, where everyone feels free to express themselves and contribute without fear of negative consequences or judgment.
Your responsibility as a leader
With power comes responsibility. As a leader, you have the duty to create and maintain psychological safety in your team. By being aware of your own role and using your power to foster openness, trust, and respect, you can build a culture where everyone feels seen, heard, and valued.
Shaping an effective team requires more than professional skills; psychological safety is essential to establish a healthy work culture that enables the team to perform well.
In this article, you will learn how to achieve this through clear communication channels, supportive feedback, and by demonstrating openness and vulnerability as a leader.
Psychological safety creates effective teams
One of the benefits of creating psychological safety in your team is that it makes the team more effective. The team becomes more efficient because members are more honest. Team performance improves when members feel safe to share both creative ideas and critical questions, all of which positively benefit the final results.
Without psychological safety, team members may hesitate to take risks, exchange ideas, and fully utilize their potential. This undermines both team dynamics and the organization’s capacity for growth.
Talent alone is not enough. Professional skills do not automatically make a good team – more is needed.