Cultivating Psychological Safety: the Hard Parts




When we talk about psychological safety, and being able to share without fear of judgment, we don’t do a lot of talking about how to actually get there. Come explore what it takes to cultivate psychological safety for yourself and your team, and what gets in the way.

When we’re feeling stressed, threatened, or unsafe, our bodies help us do a lot of things better. We’re able to run faster, hit harder, yell louder. We are able to notice the slightest movement out of the corner of our eye.

Things we do not do better: think creatively, work collaboratively, solve problems.

These are very human activities, and they work best in a very human environment. Our movement is coming to realize that feeling free to express ideas, questions, joys and concerns without fear of rejection or judgment is vital for agile collaboration.

But even though we say “without fear of judgment”, we don’t do a lot of talking about how to actually get there. And it’s hard!

Here’s the hard part: we not only need psychological safety for ourselves, but we’re a source of safety for our teammates. We all get scared, and we all have the power to ease each other’s fears. Come explore what it takes to cultivate psychological safety for yourself and your team, and what gets in the way.

Speaker

alex-harms

Alex Harms

 
Alex brings warmth & compassion to technology. By teaching and coaching from a place of mindfulness and empathy, Alex helps disempower fear, strengthen communication, and build connection, so that ...