Episode 83: Exploring Leaders' Impact on Psychological Safety with Mary O'Connor
CREATING CONDITIONS TO THRIVE
It’s part of the privilege of being a leader. Let’s talk about how to do just that!
Enjoy!
Listen Here:
(The notes below are only a brief summary of what is discussed in the podcast. Be sure to listen to get all of the goodness! If you would like a full transcription of the episode, please send an email request to: angie@angie-robinson.com. We’d be happy to provide that!)
In this episode, I am joined by Mary O’Connor with O’Connor Coaching and Consulting. Mary is a leadership team coach who works with bold leaders and teams to do the inner work that drives impactful results. Mary knows that the foundation for lasting growth is getting to the heart of individuals and teams so they can work on the important stuff with clarity and courage. As founder of O’Connor Coaching and Consulting, Mary has coached leaders and teams from the Fortune 500 and local non-profits.
Mary has a passion for and is an expert in the concept known as psychological safety. Listen to the episode for the full conversation, but here are a few highlighted take-aways:
Psychological safety is: the belief that you can speak up, offer ideas and ask questions without fear of punishment, embarrassment or retribution.
Psychological safety starts with the leader - but it is also co-created with the the team.
There are three main things that leaders can work on to create, repair and/or maintain an environment of psychological safety:
Set the Stage: emphasize purpose and meaning; determine how failure will be handled; create clarity around expectations and what is at stake.
Invite Participation: talk about how people will get involved; examine structures for listening, giving and receiving feedback and asking powerful questions; have early co-created dialogue about what is expected and the consequences.
Respond Productively: be intentional about sincere and concrete appreciation; destigmatize failure and reframe it as learning; create clarity around responses that respect boundaries.
I love how Mary tied up the intersection of self-awareness and leadership. She says:
“it’s about choosing the response to create conditions for people to thrive.'“
A big thank you to Mary for joining me!
Be sure to listen to the episode!
What do you think?
How are you creating an environment that is psychologically safe?
Links:
O’Connor Coaching & Consulting
The Fearless Organization by Dr. Amy Edmonson
Aristotle Performance - Certifies practitioners in the psychological safety assessment instrument
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