In 2015, Google published the results of an extensive internal study to determine what factors were the greatest predictors of an employee’s success. Their thesis was that the study would uncover what individual traits and past accomplishments were predictors of future performance, ultimately leading to a “magical algorithm” for hiring just the right people.
They were also surprised to learn their assumptions were utterly wrong.
The highest performing teams at one of the most innovative companies in the world had a number of common traits, but the most impactful of these was an environment of psychological safety. To dream big, experiment boldly, and walk away unscathed when things went wrong, these teams had to create an environment where everyone felt it was safe to take risks without feeling insecure or embarrassed. So, how do you create an environment of psychological safety within your team? How do you grow a team culture that encourages experiments to flourish and treats failures as an opportunity for continuous learning?
In this presentation, Leslie Hawthorn will share her experiences helping groups to overcome communication and cultural anti-patterns that destroy psychological safety. Amongst other areas, she will cover:
- What common organizational barriers exist that erode psychological safety
- How these same barriers extinguish employee engagement
- How to engender cross-functional trust amongst employees used to working in well-entrenched silos
- Why leaders use vulnerability as a means to create safety for others
- Why creating environments of psychological safety furthers your organization’s efforts to foster innovation through diversity
Attendees will leave this presentation with immediately actionable strategies they can implement individually, within their teams, and at the corporate leadership to create a trust-filled environment that fosters employee well-being, creativity, and innovation.
