Psychological Safety in the Workplace – Part 2 : A Leadership Action

Mark Fryer

It is generally accepted that, in the main, people enter a profession with the intention of doing their best. However, as we explored in our last article on this subject, many people unfortunately end up not achieving their best due to holding back for fear of damaging their personal reputation.

In this article, we explore how we as leaders can create psychological safety. This behaviour is like a muscle, it takes time, discipline and effort to achieve a robust culture that creates this optimum psychologically safe environment. It can also be destroyed within a ‘blink of an eye’!

So what actions can a leader take today to begin establishing this utopian vision?

• Define the ‘desired outcome’ and establish the current context

• Identify and harness your people’s commitment

• Lead by example

Define the ‘desired outcome’ and establish the current context

Whatever the goal, objective or vision be that short or long term that we may be working on, it is really important to be clear as to the ‘desired outcome’. The desired outcome can be nigh on impossible though it should not be impossible.

In 2007, Martin Winterkorn (Chairman, Volkswagen AG) set the goal of becoming the largest automobile maker in 10 years. The diesel engine was key to achieving this objective except, it was subsequently proven, it was simply impossible for the engine to achieve the US environmental regulations.

Winterkorn had been professionally developed by his predecessor Ferdinand Piech whose leadership style has been described, by many, as one of creating fear in subordinates and that failure was not an option. Piech had learnt and inherited his fearsome leadership style from Ferdinand Porsche who in turn had learnt his leadership style from Henry Ford. Therefore, is Henry Ford responsible for the VW diesel engine scandal? Clearly, of course not and yet the cultural norms that Winterkorn was exuding trace right back to Henry Ford and to Winterkorn they were entirely natural and successful leadership traits. In 2013, when the scandal broke it was discovered that the diesel engines in order to pass the US environmental regulation tests had been fitted with ‘defeat devices’ (essentially software that detected emission testing and reduced the carbon monoxide readings) by VW engineers in order to fulfil the strategic goal set by Winterkorn.

Astonishingly, upon his resignation Winterkorn commented, “I am not aware of any wrongdoing on my part”. It is reasonable to predict how poorly Winterkorn may have responded had a subordinate broken the silence and advised him that the diesel engine was impossible to make clean. But why did someone not break the silence – lack of psychological safety and interpersonal risk?

“Your greatest fear as a CEO is that people aren’t telling you the truth”

Mark Costa CEO, Eastman Chemical Co.

Identify and harness your people’s commitment

In a previous corporate life, I was a perpetual meeting goer. Every hour, on the hour during most days I would move from meeting to meeting - and my participation levels varied. I soon realised I contributed less to the meetings on subjects I was less passionate about and those in which I felt less confident - or psychologically safe.

As a leader, you’ll get enhanced results from a team that is committed to the cause and, where people are committed, you should encourage, invite and set an expectation of their participation.

Lead by example

As leaders, we must consider our own actions, tone, body language and the words we choose. Be considerate to the quieter members of the group; invite their opinion and be curious.

I have never been involved in any project, in any business, at any time when there has not been an element of failure. In a psychologically safe environment, a failure is an event not a person.

In these scenarios, language is important and, as leader, your attitudinal response to failure is on view. It sets the standard for and expectations of others. The moment of truth, as a leader, is when someone does speak up. If the leader’s response is poor, then all the groundwork and investment to date vanishes.

Listening intently is a great discipline and very hard if the silence that is broken is not in tune with your personal references, experiences and beliefs. To demonstrate positive ‘voice behaviours’ it is imperative to acknowledge and thank the person and explore their ideas with high support and high challenge.

Many of us subscribe to the principle that a main goal of any leader is to get the best from their people. Yet, that doesn’t mean the leader is expected to have all the answers.

Nowadays, I try to practise the above in pursuit of the answers and the solutions to achieve our desired outcomes. Whether it be me or one of my colleagues who finds the solution is not important, it is how we get there and the successful outcome that matters.

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