4 Ways to Kill Psychological Safety in a Team

10/03/23 • 53 min

#52 - The term “psychological safety” has been picking up popularity online, so in this episode we’re revisiting the concept for a second time and diving into nuances we didn’t discuss on our first episode. First, Shane breaks down what psychological safety is and why the term itself is a bit of a misnomer. Then, we explain why psychologically safe workplaces will experience more conflict than not, the key distinction between “trust” and “safety,” ways to push a team out of its comfort zone, how your Cognitive Colour affects your experience with safety, and the difference between psychological safety and emotional intelligence. Then, we flip it to the home and Shane shares some examples of why kids may not feel safety and what to do about it.

If you have follow-up questions, you can always reach us at [email protected].

To learn more about today’s topic, visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/

https://www.culturesmithinc.com/

Show Notes:

[00:30] It’s our 1 year podcast-anniversary! Reflecting on 1 year of Leaderhood & Parentship.
[07:30] A refresher on what psychological safety is.
[10:40] What a “safe space” is and where Shane keeps seeing the term come up.
[13:00] Why calling it “psychological safety” is a bit of a misnomer.
[15:00] Psychologically safe workplaces have a lot of conflict and that’s a good thing.
[16:40] The difference between “trust” and “safety.”
[19:30] How to make your team feel safe while still pushing them out of their comfort zone.
[20:45] The 4 Primary Fears that kill safety.
[25:00] How to restructure annual reviews to increase safety.
[30:00] How our Cognitive Colour influences how we experience safety.
[35:00] A quick way to check if your team feels safe.
[38:00] Try this today to build safety in the workplace.
[47:40] How to talk to kids about psychological safety.
[50:20] Does safety still exist between couples, or is that only trust?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Psychological safety episode 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-every-leader-needs-to-consider-psychological-safety/id1647450164?i=1000583011184
Loneliness episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/strategies-to-eliminate-loneliness-in-your-team/id1647450164?i=1000626803394
Narcissism episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/narcissism-in-the-workplace-understanding-and/id1647450164?i=1000600850067
Bullying episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-candid-conversation-about-bullying/id1647450164?i=1000596286870
The refreshed CultureSmith Inc. website: https://www.culturesmithinc.com/
Shane Wallace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/
Morgan Berna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-berna/

If you have follow-up questions, you can always reach us at [email protected].

To learn more about today’s topic, visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/

https://www.culturesmithinc.com/

Show Notes:

[00:30] It’s our 1 year podcast-anniversary! Reflecting on 1 year of Leaderhood & Parentship.
[07:30] A refresher on what psychological safety is.
[10:40] What a “safe space” is and where Shane keeps seeing the term come up.
[13:00] Why calling it “psychological safety” is a bit of a misnomer.
[15:00] Psychologically safe workplaces have a lot of conflict and that’s a good thing.
[16:40] The difference between “trust” and “safety.”
[19:30] How to make your team feel safe while still pushing them out of their comfort zone.
[20:45] The 4 Primary Fears that kill safety.
[25:00] How to restructure annual reviews to increase safety.
[30:00] How our Cognitive Colour influences how we experience safety.
[35:00] A quick way to check if your team feels safe.
[38:00] Try this today to build safety in the workplace.
[47:40] How to talk to kids about psychological safety.
[50:20] Does safety still exist between couples, or is that only trust?

Mentioned in this Episode:

Psychological safety episode 1: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/why-every-leader-needs-to-consider-psychological-safety/id1647450164?i=1000583011184
Loneliness episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/strategies-to-eliminate-loneliness-in-your-team/id1647450164?i=1000626803394
Narcissism episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/narcissism-in-the-workplace-understanding-and/id1647450164?i=1000600850067
Bullying episode: https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/a-candid-conversation-about-bullying/id1647450164?i=1000596286870
The refreshed CultureSmith Inc. website: https://www.culturesmithinc.com/
Shane Wallace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/
Morgan Berna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-berna/

Previous Episode

Leaders Need to Lean Into Anger in the Workplace

#51 - Has there been more anger in the world over the past few years? How about in the workplace? In a way, we’ve lost practice with how to interact with each other in space, and this is becoming increasingly apparent as companies continue to roll out return-to-office plans. In this episode, we start off by explaining the definition of anger. We then walk through the spectrum of anger, how to help someone experiencing anger, if “anger issues” are really that prevalent, and how the emotion shows up at the workplace. Shane shares the surprising answer to which Cognitive Colour gets the angriest, examples of expressing vs withdrawing in anger, how to help team members be more vocal, and more. Then, we flip it to the home and discuss how anger shows up differently in our personal relationships.

If you have follow-up questions, you can always reach us at [email protected].

To learn more about today’s topic, visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/

https://www.culturesmithinc.com/

Show Notes:

[00:30] Why we’re talking about today.
[03:00] The unique characteristics of anger.
[04:30] How the pandemic affected our collective anger.
[05:45] The definition of anger.
[07:45] Why do we annoy people?
[10:30] How our Cognitive Colour impacts how we experience anger.
[14:50] Dos and don’ts for leaders noticing anger in their team.
[17:00] An example of how anger may look in the workplace.
[21:00] How leaders can model healthy anger.
[25:00] How anger shows up differently in the home.
[28:10] Expressing anger as a parent vs as a partner.
[34:00] Why Reds and Yellows can be the most sensitive.
[35:20] How to teach kids about anger.

Mentioned in this Episode:

The refreshed CultureSmith Inc. website: https://www.culturesmithinc.com/
Shane Wallace on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/
Morgan Berna on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/morgan-berna/

Next Episode

The Power of a Conscious Confrontation

#53 - Does the word “confrontation” evoke some feelings in you? Maybe negative ones? A confrontation doesn’t need to be a negative thing, but so many people avoid them because they don’t know how to have them effectively. In this episode, we’re breaking down the stereotypes and misinformation about confrontations. We discuss what a confrontation actually is, how it differs from a conflict or a fight, positive confrontations, and how to do this consciously at the workplace. Shane explains why conscious confrontation don’t have to be nice to still be safe, and how to have them in the moment. We also break down what this looks like in the home.

If you have follow-up questions, you can always reach us at [email protected].

To learn more about today’s topic, visit:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/shanewallaceculturesmith/

https://www.culturesmithinc.com/

Show Notes:

[01:20] The difference between a conflict and a confrontation.
[03:40] What workplaces need in place in order to have effective confrontations.
[10:25] How a confrontation differs from an awkward conversation.
[11:30] You only get so many chances to win.
[12:35] Can conscious confrontations exist digitally?
[14:40] Dos and don’ts.
[18:40] Do jobs still train people?
[21:50] How our Colour affects our experience with confrontation.
[28:40] We all work for creative organizations these days.
[31:40] Tips to bring conscious confrontation into the workplace.
[33:55] How CultureSmith Inc. structures sprints for clients.
[36:40] How to have a confrontation at work.
[39:40] Flipping things to the home, what a conscious confrontation might look like there.
[45:20] Something to try this week.

Mentioned in this Episode: