Psychological safety improves team performance and is achieved in four stages.

To succeed in today's economy, companies must keep their edge. Leaders need to promote a culture that encourages teamwork and fresh ideas. They must tackle the mental hurdles that hold back their teams. Businesses should create an environment where employees feel empowered to think creatively and solve problems.

Great leaders know that promoting connections and teamwork is essential for sparking new ideas. It's crucial for team members to feel valued and empowered to think creatively. Innovation thrives when there's healthy debate when people can challenge the way things are done, analyze current methods, and devise better ones. But it's equally important to squash any negativity or fear that might hinder collaboration.

In the modern workplace, leaders need to grasp that beyond basic needs like food and shelter, employees have psychological needs that impact their performance. Gone are the days of strict top-down management; today's leaders must focus on fostering collaboration and innovation. They should aim to create an environment where teams feel psychologically safe, which can be achieved by understanding and addressing four key stages of psychological safety. By meeting these needs, leaders can enhance team performance and cultivate a dynamic, creative workplace.

Psychological safety is key for promoting innovation in the workforce. It allows people to freely learn, contribute, and question the norm, all vital for sparking new ideas. Respect and permission are crucial too; respecting others and granting them the freedom to participate enhances this environment. But before any of this, feeling connected to others is essential. That's why inclusion is where it all begins.

Stage One: Prioritize Inclusion for a Sense of Belonging 

As humans, we naturally crave connections in both our work and personal lives. When we're young, it's easy to include others, no matter how different they may seem. But as we grow older, we tend to become more judgmental and exclusive. However, inclusion is all about respecting each person's humanity, regardless of their personality, abilities, ethnicity, or gender. Yes, differences exist, but communities, whether at work or elsewhere, can use these differences to break down barriers. When people feel like they don't belong or aren't accepted, they often act out to get attention. This can lead to serious consequences, like violent outbursts or even suicide.

Inclusion safety in a community or workplace can change, influenced by team dynamics and competition. Think about sports teams: they naturally form smaller groups. The players who need to cooperate, like the front line in football, come together. But those fighting for the same positions keep their distance.

The Legacy of Superiority

Various theories of superiority, cleverly camouflaged as personal or political beliefs, significantly shape people's attitudes toward inclusion. Throughout history, influential figures like Aristotle, Hitler, and John Adams have advocated for elitism, subtly justifying discrimination against certain groups. Even foundational documents like the US Constitution, while proclaiming equality for all, paradoxically upheld discriminatory practices such as counting slaves as three-fifths of a person and denying women the right to vote. Despite humanity's progress, modern society still grapples with entrenched feelings of superiority, leading to harmful stereotypes, prejudice, and resentment.

Improving self-esteem can help reduce bias in communities and workplaces. Studies indicate that when people value themselves and their abilities, they tend to show less bias and are more likely to cooperate socially. By realizing their worth isn't threatened, individuals can become more open to diversity as

the new norm. Leaders can foster inclusion by diversifying teams and offering opportunities for peer mentoring.

Stage Two: Create an Environment for Curiosity and Growth

In a learning space where safety is lacking, the fear of judgment overrides the desire to explore and discover. This fear isn't just about failing; it's about the negative reactions failure might receive. In schools, students often shy away from learning because they feel neglected by both their teachers and parents. Many drop out because they lack the support needed to build confidence in their abilities. Similarly, in workplaces, talented individuals leave, and those who remain quiet when mistakes are met with criticism and asking questions are met with mockery. However, in a nurturing learning environment, whether it's at home, in school, or at work, leaders play a crucial role. They actively encourage curiosity and welcome questions without belittling those who ask them. In such an environment, team members feel safe to explore and grow without fear of disrespect or ridicule.

Learning demands individuals to maintain focus and resist distractions and impulses that derail their attention. A person's emotional state significantly influences their ability to engage intellectually. Establishing an environment where employees feel safe to participate promotes a connection between their intellect and emotions, nurtures curiosity, and boosts confidence.

In today's economy, the backbone lies in knowledge workers, individuals who process ideas and contribute value within their organizations. Yet, remnants of the industrial age persist in some workplaces, where only a privileged few, typically the upper echelon, are regarded as the idea generators, while others merely execute those ideas. To prosper in the modern competitive landscape, it's imperative that all employees actively engage in learning. Leaders must shift their perspective on failure, viewing it as a tool for growth rather than an opportunity for ridicule. Those who cultivate a safe, learning-rich environment are rewarded with teams that are not only motivated but also empowered to realize their full potential.

Stage Three: Empower Through Performance

This stage is all about putting in practice and honing skills, much like athletes training hard to earn their place on the field. After reaching the "contributor safety" phase, it's time for employees to step up and be active participants. Leaders should give them opportunities to contribute in their way while employees take on the responsibility to deliver results. Think of it like a teenager who, after practicing with a learner's permit, finally earns the right and the duty to drive alone. People take on more responsibility here, but leaders must keep investing in them and the team culture to keep their motivation high.

Some leaders hold back on giving their employees freedom because they're insecure, biased, or don't want others to outshine them. But by doing this, they not only hold back their team's performance but also limit their success. Performance involves both execution and innovation. Execution entails streamlining production and improving efficiency to create value. Conversely, innovation focuses on promoting creativity and adopting deviation to secure future value. For organizations to gain a competitive edge, they must balance both types of performance effectively.

Leaders can gauge their capacity to grant autonomy by monitoring how often they instruct versus inquire, known as the tell-to-ask ratio. Asking for input yields numerous advantages:

• Encourages teamwork by involving all team members.
• Discovers and encourages team members' skills.
• Reduces anxiety some employees may feel about sharing ideas.

When managers seek assistance from their team, employees feel comfortable offering fresh perspectives beyond their roles.

Stage Four: Protect Employees Who Challenge the Norm:

In any successful organization, fresh ideas and bold initiatives are crucial. But to foster innovation, leaders need to cultivate an environment where employees feel empowered to question the status quo. At this stage, teams not only contribute actively but also feel confident and authorized to challenge existing processes and beliefs. Mutual respect and encouragement form the bedrock of a culture where exploration and experimentation are encouraged. Since individuals take significant risks at this level, leaders must offer them protection.

Competition drives innovation, but it doesn't have to be fueled by fear. When people create new products or services, they use different ways of thinking to predict what's next. They often build on what they already know to come up with fresh ideas. Take Netflix, for example. They combined the postal service with DVDs to shake up the video rental market. James Dyson, on the other hand, looked at how dust moves in a cyclone and used that to make his vacuum cleaner without a bag.

Encouraging "challenger safety" among employees helps leaders promote innovation and adaptability in their organizations. Here's how leaders can build this culture:

• Leaders set the tone for open communication and idea exchange
• Encourage the sharing of knowledge without holding back, promoting a culture of trust and collaboration.
• Publicly acknowledge that not all efforts will succeed, promoting a safe environment for experimentation and learning.
• When disagreeing with a team member's approach, offer clear explanations to encourage understanding and active learning.

Respect and permission go together in the workplace.

Appreciating people's worth and allowing them to contribute are both crucial. Without respect, it feels like someone's watching over you like a parent; without permission, it's like someone's taking advantage of you. So, in a good workplace, both respect and permission need to be there.

•  Paternalism: Here, leaders mean well but end up limiting others' freedom to act on their own. While it's important for safety, this approach can make people overly reliant and stifle their ability to come up with new ideas and solutions.
•  Exploitation: This is when leaders use their employees without appreciating their skills and efforts. Workers in this situation often find themselves working extra hours without consideration for their personal lives. Exploitative behavior, including rudeness and verbal abuse, can bring down morale and hurt productivity.

Creating a workplace where people feel psychologically safe lays down the groundwork for respect and permission. When individuals feel valued and appreciated, they naturally connect and belong. Today's leaders need emotional intelligence to recognize and appreciate their team members without letting jealousy or ego get in the way. They should understand that by promoting an environment where workers feel safe to learn, contribute, and even challenge ideas, they pave the way for innovation to prosper.