Does Your Startup Understand Psychological Safety & How to Foster it?

Wired to Connect | Improving Relationships With Mental Health + Tech, One Episode at a Time

How do you know whether your startup has an accurate understanding of what exactly psychological safety is; why it’s so important; & then, how to foster it, effectively?

In her book, Teaming, Harvard Business School professor & researcher, Amy Edmondson describes psychological safety as the shared belief among team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk taking. Noting that this involves, but goes beyond, interpersonal trust, Edmondson explains that it is characterized by a team climate of interpersonal trust & mutual respect, where people are comfortable being themselves. Edmondson describes psychological safety as a felt-sense of whether an environment is safe (e.g., not experiencing micro-aggressions or unconscious bias, having access to opportunities & advancements, feeling welcomed in the hybrid mix of socio-professional gatherings, believing work & contributions are valued). She indicates that when psychological safety is present the wellbeing & well-doing climate is enhanced: people feel comfortable taking risks, making mistakes, asking for help, & speaking up to challenge the status quo or improve processes. It includes a necessarily strong core of trust; & also requires compassion (compassion = empathy + action).

Startup therapist, Lisa Birnbaum; & startup coach, Marisa Birnbaum, have seen the understanding of psychological safety & the fostering of it, vary significantly between startups. During this episode, Lisa & Marisa, talk through exactly what psychological safety looks like & sounds like in the context of your startup; why psychological safety is so important for the success of your startup; as well as, how to effectively create, build, & cultivate psychological safety, in an ongoing way, within your startup.

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