How can leaders make vulnerability safe?

"𝐁𝐞 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜.. 𝐛𝐞 𝐯𝐮𝐥𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞.. 𝐛𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮." 

We often hear these phrases when it comes to work, but it’s not always so simple. Sometimes, the cultures we create do not facilitate this being safe for everyone in the organisation. 

Research suggests that feeling authentic at work is associated with higher levels of well-being and a stronger sense of belonging. When people can't be themselves, they often leave to seek safer work environments. Constantly managing one's image can be exhausting and adds to an already heavy cognitive load. 

𝐒𝐨 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧- 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨 𝐚𝐬 𝐚 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐨 𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭? 

Jamie Woolf in this interesting & practical HBR article offers up some practical examples from Pixar- some top examples:

1️⃣ Leaders consistently reflecting on biases before meetings and interviews.

2️⃣ A Mutual Mentorship Programme with meaningful questions to help mentors understand other experiences in the organisation, develop trust and intimacy, and heighten awareness of power dynamics.

3️⃣ A building of “trust maps” where 500 people leaders mapped out their key networks- including those they mentored, sought advice from, socialised with, and spent the most time with on their teams. By doing this exercise, leaders often saw their networks lacked diversity in age, ethnicity, gender, and organisational level. They then focussed on diversifying their networks over a 6-month period.

Building psychological safety is essential for everyone in the organisation, not just a select few. When people feel safe to be vulnerable and authentic, the whole organisation benefits! 

We've done some work around this lately- if you are interested in learning more or want to think about how to build it in your organisation, feel free to reach out to Rike Stein or myself. 

ARTICLE HERE: https://lnkd.in/envngErc