Psychological safety is so important in teams, and especially in leadership teams because the top team sets the standard for the whole organisation. Amy C. Edmondson, in her book ‘The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth’ defines psychological safety as ‘the belief that the work environment is safe...
Have you ever travelled with children? (Or maybe you were one once!) What do they say, usually just after you have left home? ‘Are we there yet?’ When the question is repeated multiple times, even you might begin to feel like it’s a never-ending journey. Learning can be like that too. Do I know enough?...
What’s your idea of the ‘perfect team’? Do you have that now? Recently I was working with an executive team – the second workshop of a 12-month Fearless Leadership® program. The energy in the room was great, and there had been a shift over the 8 weeks since the opening retreat. Already there was a...
People are different, and it’s easy to interpret ‘different’ as ‘difficult’. When we expect someone to be difficult, we unconsciously filter for evidence to support our view… Not surprisingly, that’s what we find. The Reticular Activating System—or RAS—is a set of interconnected nuclei in the brain that filters in what’s relevant to us and blocks...
‘What happens when I ask a question and I’m met with silence, and that silence keeps on going?’. This question often comes up during Leaders Who Ask training. When we ask a question that engages the other person, it can take time for them to think through their response. When we are uncomfortable in this silence, it’s...
Silence is an underrated leadership tool. Of course, I am not talking about the kind of ‘hostile silence’ that intimidates people into saying something! This is a silence that gives people time to think and opens up the conversational space for something richer than top of mind thoughts. Silence can be more challenging for extrovert...