Short Stuff: Psychological safety is your friend
A safe team builds great products
Psychological safety is not a myth. It is possible and important too.
Many product managers understand its importance. Yet, they often misunderstand what exactly it means and how to establish it.
According to Adam Grant's Think Again, Psychological safety means fostering a climate of respect, trust, and openness in which people can raise concerns and suggestions without fear of reprisal. It is the foundation of a learning culture.
In a psychologically safe team, teammates are not afraid of negative consequences like being criticized, ignored, laughed at, or punished for their work.
It provides the environment or space to address conflict productively. It enables people to speak up and think of what is best for the team.Â
One of the things I am especially proud of in my product journey is how I have worked with my teammates to build a psychologically safe team. I remember a conversation I had with a teammate late last year.
When I asked how his work with the team has been, he talked about how he enjoyed the support of his teammates and how he could give or share opinions without fear of backlash, giving him a high sense of responsibility & initiative.
His comment was only possible because of the psychological safety we built within the team from day one & this should be a priority for product managers.
To sum it up, psychological safety has a direct & immense impact on the team's efficiency.
So how do you know your team is psychologically safe? Here are a few examples from Adam Grant in his book, Think Again;
1. The team sees mistakes as an opportunity to learn and not as a threat to their career
2. Willing to take risks and fail rather than rock the boat
3. Teammates can speak their mind in meetings rather than keep ideas to themselves
4. Teammates can trust in their managers rather than fear their managers
5. Sticking your neck out rather than having it chopped off
With these examples, is your team psychologically safe? If yes, great job!
If not, there is no need to panic. Here are some tips that can help you.
1. Be a collaborator and not an adversary
As a team, you cannot compete with yourselves. Remember that it is the team vs the problem. True success is a win-win outcome amid problems or conflict.
2. Ask for Feedback
After a team discussion or meeting, ask your teammates for feedback. Feedback helps you to illuminate blind spots in communication among the team & increases trust amongst team members. When teammates know that their opinions are valued, you create an environment that shows the team they can rely on each other.
3. Transform blame into curiosity
Blame creates toxic conflicts that lead to defensiveness, arguments and withdrawal. It should never become the leading voice on your product team. Instead, let curiosity lead the way. As a product manager, you need to teach your team to interact with a growth mindset, a mindset that inspires questions, discussions, and problem-solving.
It takes an active product leader to build that kind of culture & safety net for team members. Be that leader.
Rooting for you as always,
Fumnanya