We are living in a highly volatile world where at any moment there could be another weather disaster, outbreak of violence, mass layoff, or sky-rocketing of consumer prices. Never has compassionate, level-headed leadership been more necessary, but in short supply.
As the external heat rises, leaders need to dampen the effects on their organizations. Why? Because staying centered and present is key to creating a psychologically safe environment for an organization.
Since the phrase psychological safety was coined by Harvard’s Amy Edmondson, it has become a synonym for healthy, high-performing cultures – and the number one indicator of performance. However, there is less focus on how leaders need to behave in order for psychological safety to be possible.
Here’s what not to do –
- Take frenetic action in response to internal and external pressures, creating a cascade of fire drills
- Look for someone to blame for what’s not going well
- Double down on controlling the uncontrollable, aka your team’s thoughts and feelings
Our brains are highly skilled threat detectors. And when they find what they’re looking for, our physiological resources shift to self-protection at all costs. So when leaders amplify threats in an attempt to motivate the team, you’re actually activating a neurological stress response, and you end up paralyzing the team with fear.
I get it – what I’m asking requires extraordinary self-awareness and emotional intelligence. Senior leaders typically experience even more pressure than their teams. Remaining clear-headed, navigating your own fear responses, and staying calm isn’t easy. But lowering the stakes for your team enables them to focus more, be generative, and collaborate across functions – producing the exact results that your fire drills and blame game will not.
So how do you self-manage during tough times? For one, you don’t have to go it alone. Be transparent about your own concerns and questions in a way that invites others to share their own thoughts. There’s no need to pretend to have all the answers. Instead, activate the problem-solving powers of the whole team.
Second, take care of yourself. I realize this is going to look different for everyone (two weeks at a spa may not be in the cards), but making sure you have 15 minutes of buffer time between meetings or an hour or two allotted to quiet, focused work each day is both doable and a big help.
Finally, one strategy that will help you and your team is learning to listen. Listening, more than talking, is critical to understanding the emotional pulse of your organization, building engagement across the team, and strengthening psychological safety overall. Be both visible and available to the team – chances are, you’ll learn a lot.
When the heat is on – and right now it always is – leaders need to swap out control for compassion. Remember, a healthy team is an effective and productive team – no fear required.