My top 5 killers of a psychologically safe
Here are some common traits that kill workplace psychological safety. The trouble is, those who display these traits often don't know they do it!
The challenge is not finding these people (everyone knows who they are!), the challenge is dealing with them in a professional, respectful but rapid manner.
1. Hiding behind a title.
Titles are given, but trust and respect are earned. If you obtain conformance by using your position, then it shows a level of insecurity or prejudice and creates a barrier to workplace social inclusion.
2. Taking credit from others work.
Genuine leaders stand at the back in times of success and at the front in times of challenge. Taking credit or praise for the work of others, impacts on worker engagement, motivation and retention.
3. Micromanagement.
Micromanagers deny learning and development by removing autonomy. There is a specific psychosocial hazard relating to Low Job Control, this trait is killer to building a psychologically safe workplace.
4. Error is normal and blame fixes nothing.
Mistakes are a normal part of life; we all make them. We need to plan for mistakes so when they are made, we catch them quickly, learn, rectify, and move on. Our systems should be resilient to error. Blaming others only satisfies our internal desire for retribution, it doesn’t fix the cause of the error.
5. You shoot the messenger.
From my perspective, this is the biggest killer of a psychosocially safe workplace. If you shoot the messenger, you publicly demonstrate you are unwilling to listen and will not change. This sets the organisational tone and sends a public warning to not bring bad news.
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