Make it safe

- Have you ever had something you desperately wanted to share with your boss but knew that actually saying it was a bad idea? You knew your idea was constructive criticism but your boss simply wouldn't want to hear it and wouldn't take it well. So what did you do? I bet you didn't share because the consequences just wouldn't be worth it. And who could blame you? To create a safe work environment, You must first make it comfortable for your team members to speak their minds. Like in the example I just shared, if people don't feel safe sharing their thoughts, they simply won't. As a manager, you'll miss out on their feedback and creativity. Worse, when people don't feel safe speaking their minds, they'll eventually get fed up and look for a different job where they can. Safety is critical for a healthy team environment. And as a manager, it's your job to make sure that your employees feel safe enough to be who they are and speak up at work. After this video, you'll be able to apply a three-pronged approach to creating a safe work environment for your team. Here are a few suggestions of what you can do to encourage honest feedback from your team. First, keep an open mind. No matter what you hear, don't react negatively. Second, don't assume that just because your office door is open, people will walk through. Actively invite people to share their thoughts with you. Third, remember that you have to give trust to get trust. Your team will be more likely to trust you if you give them trust first. Finally, support your team when they share in meetings. You don't have to agree with everything they say but show your appreciation that they shared. The second component of a safe work environment is that it has to be okay to take risks. Risk taking is a mandatory ingredient for excellence. If your team is more concerned with the consequences of failure than the upside of success, they won't take risks. So I want you to allow smart risk taking to happen. If someone fails because they took a risk and it didn't pan out, don't punish them for trying something they new. Instead, coach them to learn from their mistake and how to take an even smarter risk next time. Use risk taking as a teaching opportunity. When team members strive beyond what they know is achievable, innovation and growth become possible. The final component of a safe work environment is consistency. Knowing what to expect feels safe. Having no idea what you're walking into doesn't. I want you to lay the groundwork for consistency. Share your values and principles with your team and then act with integrity consistently. A great place to make sure you are consistent is in treating all your team members equitably. Suppose you have a team member who you've been a bit frustrated with recently and they make a mistake. It's your responsibility to talk to them with the same level of patience as a team member with whom you're not frustrated. Give them the same coaching. This kind of reliability is the foundation of trust. Now that you understand how to create a safe work environment, I challenge you to apply all three of these principles with your team. Be willing to hear their feedback without responding negatively, encourage smart risk taking and maintain consistent behavior day to day.