Catherine Berney, Author ‘The Enlightened Organisation’, Organisational Psychologist, FRSA. (BCL Solicitor MSc. Organizational Psychology CEDR Mediator Fellow Cranfield School of Management FRSA and Non-Executive Director) Managing Director of Enlightened Organizations and Author of The Enlightened Organisation
As a CEO you may not wake up every morning thinking about psychological safety, but you will be preoccupied with innovation and creating new approaches and services to deliver in this ever-changing context. And you are more reliant than before on your people for this excellence and delivery. Modern, ambiguous problems require a combination of collective good judgment and professional wisdom, that manifest in timely and responsive action – often in the form of high stakes decision making and investment.
The Imperative of Psychological Safety
And yet, your people are likely experiencing a heightened sense of anxiety in the face of these increasing levels of uncertainty and ‘not knowing’. They are at the front line interacting daily, hourly, with the end users, stakeholders and communities. They are your eyes and ears for what the world requires from your organization right now and for the future. Without their unvarnished insights, you are flying blind.
It is therefore beholden upon you, as CEO, to nurture them and to actively enable their innovation and creativity. To achieve this, you need to provide them with three critical pillars:
- Focus: Clarify the overarching goals and expectations while simultaneously encouraging risk-taking, accepting failure, navigating uncertainty, and emphasizing the desperate need for employee voice.
- Involvement: Invite participation by listening intently, asking open questions, creating safe forums for speaking up, welcoming new input, and openly acknowledging organizational gaps.
- Recognition: Appreciate their contributions, celebrate small wins, maintain a forward-looking perspective, and champion continuous learning.
These are the three foundational steps required to build a culture of psychological safety, as defined by Amy Edmondson, Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School.
This article first appeared in part 3 of the Being The CEO Toolkit
