If your team isn't disagreeing with you, it may not be because they agree.

A common misconception is that silence equates to agreement.  Another is, if people don’t speak up, they must have nothing to say. 

You can feel it in a meeting within a couple of minutes. In some rooms people lean in, talk freely, challenge ideas respectfully, imagine liberally, disagree safely and the conversation and outcomes get better for it. In others, the leader does the talking, participants remain disengaged and quiet, insights, suggestions, questions, all remain unspoken.

Same organization, same values on the wall, completely different dynamic and results.

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Why?

Exceptional leaders understand the power and potential inside each of their employees and seek ways to tap into their insights, strengths and talents. The highest performing teams have something in common: psychological safety, a term coined by Harvard professor, Amy Edmonson, which essentially is the belief that it is safe to speak up, express a question or concern, bring forward a half-formed idea, challenge mindsets, image different possibilities, all without the fear of ridicule, reprimand or repercussion.  

When psychological safety exists, collaboration is heightened, brainstorming flows, communication is respectful, ideas percolate, innovation increases and outcomes are enhanced.  When it’s absent, people worry about what happens if they speak up or challenge an idea as they are uncertain of the consequences.  The result is costly as innovative thinking is stifled, creative solutions are left unspoken and outcomes are limited.

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How to build It

This dynamic is built by sharing the tenets of psychological safety with your team and once stated as a goal for how the team collaborates, recognizing it is formed or dismantled in small moments – in the way you or the team reacts to a verbal disagreement, the way team members vocalize their response to a radical suggestion, the way the team chimes in during the sharing of a creative solution or remains silent during team brainstorming.  In each of these moments, the team learns if it’s truly encouraged and safe to share, to imagine, to challenge, to explore, simply by experiencing your reaction and the reaction of their teammates.  

The most important tenants of psychological safety are:

• Contributing ideas and opinions matter and are encouraged

• Learning, exploring, trying, and experimenting are valued

• Sharing expertise and talents is appreciated and recognized

• Admitting mistakes or revealing issues is met with curiosity and acceptance

• Questioning or disagreeing with intent to ignite discovery is supported

As you work toward having a psychologically safe team environment, be aware of common pitfalls that can derail your efforts:

• Disregarding the tenants during team interactions – the team will be watching your behavior and reaction to know whether they can trust the dynamic 

• Acting defensive when challenged – the team will assess the limits of what’s allowed and what’s punished

• Retaliating against instead of rewarding those who act in accordance with the tenets

• Dismissing ideas and agreements reached as the team will know whether their participation resulted in better outcomes or was merely an exercise to make people artificially feel included

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What now?

In your next team meeting, ask your team an open question. What's the thing we're all avoiding talking about? Then say nothing until somebody fills the silence. If it’s uncomfortable; let it be. Whether or not they speak up and what they say, and what you do with it, will tell you more about your team dynamic than any engagement survey.

If psychological safety is present, congratulations – keep up the great work, if not, commit to creating the dynamic with your team.  Essential to effective leadership is getting the best out of each of your team members and that starts with them feeling safe to contribute their ideas, strengths and talents.  Do your part to create this environment for your team and I promise engagement will increase and the results will speak for themselves.  

PeoplePower Unlocked goes further into the conversations and practical tools for building it.