Psychological safety — the belief that one is able to take interpersonal risks and speak up without risk of punishment or humiliation, for the betterment of the team – has been well established as an essential driver of employee engagement and organization performance.
Leaders – across industries – are declaring their commitment to make psychological safety an explicit priority for their team.
And yet, in private, many admit that they do not feel psychological safe at work, whether it’s with their bosses, co-workers, or employees.
- They feel the need to show up with a façade that is incongruent with their actual, inner world.
- They feel the need to polish their words to perfection, lest they be deemed as not good enough by others.
- They feel threatened when questioned by curious minds.
At the core, none of this is about their bosses, co-workers or employees – it’s about their deep longing to feel seen, heard, appreciated, respected and loved; it’s about their yearning to show up as an authentic human being in our world where photoshopped images are believed to be real.
Authentic Leadership isn’t just a lovely theory. It’s a powerful way of being that enable leaders to honor and celebrate their authentic being, to allow them to be fully seen, heard, appreciated, respected and loved, to let their inner light shine at its best, and enable them to do their best work. As they make this possible for themselves, they too will be enabling others around them to experience the same.
Yes, we can make this real in our lives.
And yes, when we do this, a psychologically safe workplace is a natural byproduct of our hearts and hands.
If you’d like to find out how coaching can elevate your leadership, amplify your impact, or sponsor your managers for coaching, let’s talk.