Catherine Mattice's Blog, page 21

Five More Tips for Creating Psychological Safety In Training Programs (and everywhere, really)

Last month, we offered three tips for creating psychological safety in your training programs. 

To recap, psychological safety is feeling comfortable to ask questions, contribute ideas, voice opinions, challenge the material being offered, and be your true self without fear of being judged, shamed, or criticized by facilitators or their fellow participants.

As facilitators, it is imperative that we exercise our own personal leadership and take responsibility for what we cultivate in the training spaces we oversee.

Some of the leadership characteristics that promote psychological safety seem obvious, but there are always deeper layers to explore.

 

Here are five ways we can deepen our personal awareness to make training spaces safer:

 

Be Mindfully Respectful

We often think of the Golden Rule, which states, “Do unto others the way you would want them to do unto you.”

However, if we are truly being mindful, inclusive, and safety forward we will want to facilitate training from the Platinum Rule, “Do unto others the way they would want you to do unto them.” As trainers, we can stay reflective on our own training approaches and brush up on any skill set we may need to enhance our ability to offer respect to our participants in the ways that they need it offered.

 

Be Authentically Empathetic 

Empathy is often defined as placing ourselves in the shoes of others to generate an understanding through a shared experience. This is a beautiful way to have a deeper understanding of what others must be feeling and dealing with on a personal level.

Sometimes empathy can be generated within us by silently reflecting on an area in our own life that may be similar to the person’s experience; then we can dig into the similar root feeling that is being expressed and empathize.

In the moments when we have no frame of reference for what another is experiencing, it’s best to be honest about it. You might say, “I can’t imagine what that must be like for you to _______, thank you so much for sharing your experience with us so that we can all learn from it.”

This will go a long way in building safety to express within the training space. 

 

Kindly Address Negativity

This can start even before the training gets into the meat of the curriculum if you set group agreements up front. Allowing participants to add to these agreements can also enhance psychological safety.

Some of the agreements may include not interrupting each other, putting cell phones away, or even sharing the talking time equally during small group time. 

Additionally, when something comes up in real time in a group setting it is also imperative that the facilitator remember that it is a learning opportunity and utilize Humble Inquiry and other compassion coaching approaches to unpack what just happened and reestablish safety in the space again.

 

Unitize Active Listening

We’re all familiar with the classic ingredients that form the recipe for deep listening – eye contact, paraphrasing what the speaker shared, leaning forward, and the well-placed verbal affirmation.

Beyond that, be intentional in catching and handling disruptions, or navigate any microaggressions or other uncivil acts when they happen. When your participants know you are really paying attention to them and their full environment, they’re more likely to feel safe and will contribute more often. 

 

Model Leadership & Vulnerability

As a facilitator, participants will look to you to see what is acceptable, what is tolerated by their peers, what tone is being set, and how you hold this container they sit in during the program. If you’re willing to be vulnerable, and also demonstrate constructive ways to navigate anything that is brought into the space, it will allow people to reveal more of their authentic self. 

In a nutshell, when people feel safe, they learn better and they learn more. When people feel heard and are supported to contribute, they retain better. When questions/concerns/challenges are encouraged and addressed compassionately, active engagement rises. When people feel seen and accepted for who they are, they are able to leave training programs feeling empowered.

Taking the time and effort to ensure psychological safety can make all the difference in obtaining our objectives as trainers, and it can even be downright transformational for our participants. 

 

Sincerely,

Toni Herndon and the Civility Partners team

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Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting and Interviewing

Based on our episode, “Uncovering Unconscious Bias in Recruiting and Interviewing” with Dr. Tana M Session

 

Most of the time credibility is being questioned in a team meeting, leading a project, and our recommendations having to prove above and beyond our areas of expertise. Regardless of how much education, experience, certifications you may have and oftentimes that’s a strategy that people of color will actually put into place to help them be successful and remove some of those barriers if they will go and get the extra certification and all the stuff. There are so many barriers for them in terms of success or opportunities.

 

Strategies Your power, your truth, your healing, your worth and ultimately your destiny are the pillars to it.

Start learning how to own your power. Taking your power back, you have to forgive yourself for the decisions or choices that you made along the way that’s been stumbling blocks to you personally and professionally.

Learn how to forgive others. 

That’s some space that you don’t want to take with you as you’re looking to grow and develop and become successful. Sometimes, we have to forgive people who may never ask for an apology.

You have to understand that you are worthy of success. 

Success looks different for every single person and so as a result of that not comparing yourself to others. Sometimes we’ll get stuck in imposter syndrome. When that may not be your destiny, that may not be your purpose.

Things that happened in the past were for a reason and they’ve gotten you to where you’re at. If you’ve made some bad decisions or made a wrong turn, it wasn’t a wrong turn. It was just it’s gonna get you where you’re at.

 

Understanding Unconscious Bias 

Every single one of us is guilty of unconscious bias. You’re not a bad person if you do. Everyone has unconscious bias just the way our brain is made, it works like a computer. It’s these spontaneous judgments that we make about people, places or situations that we may or may not be familiar with. Our brain looks for these little mental shortcuts and are oftentimes tied to an attitude or a stereotype that we may have. 

We get to talk to people, spend time with them, get to know them as a person, personally and professionally. Then, all of a sudden those biases start to kind of fade away but until we build that relationship, relational and social capital, we lean on bias to help us make those decisions. 

 

Avoiding Unconscious BiasSelf-awareness is key 

Understanding and accepting more importantly that we all have a bias and it could be a good thing or a bad thing. It just really depends on the situation. So there’s certain biases that are predominant in recruiting. You have like the horn effect like a similarity you have these different types of biases that will play into decision making. 

Understanding when those biases come in 

Having others that can help you check your bias. Understanding is important to get the perspective of others, hold people accountable and have checks and balances in place to see when bias is kicking in and then what is that bias, is it valid or is it a fallacy?

Diversity means something different for every organization

Diversity may mean physical identity, people of color, sexual orientation, and race. Diversity is so wide and deep. Understand what diversity means for you because this is a word we’ve been using pretty heavily.

Having honest conversations 

It’s challenging. As well, how comfortable are you being uncomfortable because that’s where the work is going to start. Having these courageous conversations about it and then also identifying what steps are you going to take to bring in not just diverse talent but ensure that they feel included and they belong. Make sure that employees feel comfortable, included and psychologically safe through:

Having inclusive language Building relationshipsFriendly interactionEffective communication

We’re complex creatures as humans. We want to learn about others’ experiences and show up as allies for them and opportunities where we have power, privilege, and influence of change to do so.

 

Inclusion or diversity first?

You can do them all in parallel. So, you don’t have to choose one or the other.

Inclusion says you’re working on your culture and you’re ensuring that any policies practices, systems infrastructure, talent management, talent performance, recruiting, onboarding, exiting and all of these things are being viewed through the lens of diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging that should be happening regardless if you’re recruiting diverse talents.

Diversity can happen if you’re being intentional about it. It’s going to take a little longer because that means you’re going to recruit from different areas. You’re going to have to build relationships with different associations or individuals even to encourage them to come through your funnel. Then, ultimately hire them and bring them onboard. When they get there, they should feel the work is being done. That should be part of their lived experience. If it’s not, then you’re missing the mark. 

So you can say, diversity and inclusion or inclusion and diversity. Whichever way you want, but the work should all be happening in tandem.

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5 tips to support your employees WHY

These past two and a half years have shown us COVID-19, the Great Resignation, devastating wildfires, and more. Employees have experienced an awakening.

According to McKinsey & Company, nearly two-thirds of US-based employees say that COVID-19 has caused them to reflect on their purpose in life. As people reevaluate the work they’re engaged in or are willing to accept, they’re looking for organizations that support their purpose and their why.

Employees expect their jobs to bring a significant sense of purpose to their lives. Long gone are the days of working in exchange for pay. Employers must help meet this need, or be prepared to lose talent to companies that will. 

And, not only does helping employees find purpose reduce retention, it also increases their performance. Here’s a cool three-minute video from comedian Michael Jr. highlighting that very point. 

 

Here’s 5 tips for employers to support employees finding their why at work:

 

Give your people the tools to feel valued. But what are they? Ask them! We can help you with that. By conducting a climate assessment, you will uncover what drives your employees to be connected to your organization and therefore,  productivity and success. 

Reevaluate your company’s core values. Are they in alignment with what your employees are supporting? Do your people even know what the core values are? When employees believe the organizations’ purpose is aligned with theirs, they are more likely to stay and recommend it to others. Make your values visible and actionable, ask your employees what they mean to them, and then align all communication and actions accordingly. 

Each of your employees are unique and so is their purpose. You may not be surprised to learn that C-Suites are more in alignment with living their purpose in day-to-day work than mid-level management and employees, according to the McKinsey Individual Purpose Summary 2020. When gaps are reduced, employees are more productive, resilient, healthier, and more likely to stay at the company and recommend it to others. Assure your hiring managers are sharing the purpose of the company and asking prospective new hires what their why is – so as to better align and attract people who fit in well and will be happier and more productive.

Conduct weekly one-on-ones with your employees. Don’t wait until quarterly goals or the annual performance review. This will give you and your employees the opportunity to better identify and articulate their purpose at work and how you can support them. Be open, empathetic, and ask for feedback as a leader. We know that nearly everyone from new hires to C-suite struggle with receiving feedback. We can help you here, too, as we often conduct training sessions on this topic.

Get your employees involved in developing their why. Consider sharing Michael Jr’s video with your staff to kick start the conversation and facilitate conversation about what’s important to them.

 

Sincerely,

Kathy & the Civility Partners Team

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Taking Off the Training Wheels: How to go from bystander to upstander

What is courage?

Many would say it’s strength…perhaps even fearlessness. But the true definition contains a few key components. Courage is taking action despite the presence of fear. 

Imagine a young boy learning how to ride a bike. He’s only ever ridden one with training wheels. It is safe, and relatively easy. There is little chance that he will crash or fall over, so he freely and happily rides the safe, training-wheels-reinforced bike.

Then, one day, his mom takes the training wheels off. What is the boy feeling when he sees the bike?

Probably a little confused – there’s been a change. Probably a little upset – this wasn’t a change he asked for. And most importantly, probably a little scared to get on the bike and ride it. His safety net is gone, and there is suddenly a presence of fear.

After a bit of encouragement, he decides to attempt this new challenge. He reluctantly hops on the bike, while his mom keeps it steady. Then, she lets go and he starts to peddle.

Naturally, he gets scared and stops pedaling. He falls over. His mom explains how he must keep pedaling to stay balanced, and encourages him to try again.

This time, he keeps pedaling. He overcomes his fear and keeps going. But when it comes time to get off the bike, he doesn’t know how to stop, gets scared, and falls over. His mom explains how to use the brakes, and encourages him to try again.

This time, the boy pedals a little faster, rides a little longer, and successfully brakes and hops off the bike. What is the boy feeling now?

Probably a little relieved – the danger presented did not result in harm. Probably proud – he did something courageous. And most importantly, probably less scared to get back on the bike next time.

 

What can we learn from this story? For courage to be present, fear must also be.Overcoming that initial fear is the biggest step.The more willing we are to take action against that fear, the more we will learn along the way, and the less scary that fear will become.

So let’s put this in the context of workplace bullying. If you witness bullying behavior, it becomes your duty to step in and stand up for the target. It’s probably not a duty you expected; it’s certainly not one you wanted; and it’s associated with fear. What if there’s social backlash? What if I become the new target?

But just like the boy didn’t expect to lose his training wheels, we sometimes are faced with situations we didn’t ask for. And just like he overcame his fear, got on the bike, and started riding…we must be courageous and intervene. 

Now let me be clear – intervention looks different for every person, and for each unique situation. Whether it’s direct intervention, seeking out help, or simply making your presence known…the important part is that some form of action is taken.

 

And here’s the good news! 

The first time we face this uncomfortable situation is likely one of the hardest. Each time we practice intervening, it feels a little less scary. This is because the more you do something, the more you learn, and the less “foreign” it feels.

Additionally, there are resources available to help! Catherine’s newest LinkedIn course, “From Bystander to Upstander,” contains valuable insights into the whys and hows of intervention. We have made the course free for the next 24 hours.

At the end of the day, we must realize that silence and inaction…are acceptance. It’s our duty to find the courage to take off those training wheels and learn how to ride our intervention bikes.

 

Sincerely,

Sabrina & the Civility Partners Team

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Are you factoring your workplace into well-being initiatives?

Mental health and wellbeing is top of mind for employees and employers across the globe. You know this. 

What you may not know is that you could be tackling burnout from the wrong angles. 

According to McKinsey Health Institute, while many employers are offering a variety of benefits like well-being days, more flexible working hours, and meditation app subscriptions, these individual-level interventions don’t actually resolve the causes of employee burnout. 

That’s because, according to the article, the highest predictor of burnout is toxic behavior.

In other words, if you aren’t addressing burnout by addressing toxic behavior – your mental health and well-being initiatives are falling short.

 

Your initiatives focused on the individual aren’t enough – you’ve got to take a systemic approach.

Consider, for example, the other organizational factors that work against mental health and well-being, including (but certainly not limited to): having a sense of being on call at all hours, unreasonable workloads, feeling a lack of inclusion or psychological safety, lack of social support and/or connection, mistreatment from clients or customers, or ambiguous roles or responsibilities. 

All of these issues and more require leaders to address them head on, because no amount of yoga can. 

(Incidentally, that last item is one of the biggest predictors of engaging in toxic behavior. Just check out my interview with Ståle Einarsen, one of the founding fathers of the International Association on Workplace Bullying & Harassment and its conference, and 30 year researcher of toxic behavior.)

 

So now that you know your mental health and well-being initiatives should start by addressing toxic behavior, where do you go from here?

As one of the only consultants on this planet with special expertise in turning around toxic behavior and culture, we have some thoughts. 

Your first step is to conduct a climate assessment, if you haven’t already. To be clear, I’m not talking about an engagement survey, or a well-being survey, I’m talking about a climate assessment.

This is a snapshot of your culture in time. Our assessment asks about engagement, internal communication, relationships, inclusivity, and more. In other words, we look at all of the factors that we know can cause people to engage in bad behavior, feel burned out, or focus on leaving. 

Once we have the data, we assist our clients in developing and implementing a plan for positive change.

To address ambiguous roles or responsibilities, we might suggest a new or upgraded performance conversation. 

To address toxic behavior we may engage in company-wide training on respect and intervening when witnessing toxic behavior. Managers may also get training on coaching team members engaging in toxic behavior, in addition to coaching for performance improvement.

Of course, we also specialize in coaching those executives who may be engaging in toxic behavior themselves. 

These are just some of the ways in which we’ve had success turning around toxic cultures. (Case studies here.)

In the end, the one thing I know as sure as death and taxes – if you aren’t consistently focused on building a positive and respectful workplace, it’s not going to happen. Your supervisors and managers should be made aware of their responsibility to, and provided the tools to, proactively build a positive work culture. 

Take some time to review our short little assessment: Does your organization foster a culture of respect and inclusivity? The more “no’s” the more likely your mental health and well-being initiatives are falling flat, because the more likely your employees experience burnout due to workplace culture. 

 

Sincerely,

Catherine Mattice & the Civility Partners Team

 

P.S. Contact us if you’d like more information about our climate assessments and how we can help turn around your toxic workplace. 

P.P.S. If you want to learn more about resolving toxic workplaces and behaviors, I encourage you to join me at the International Association on Workplace Bullying & Harassment conference in Sept. In-person and virtual tickets are available. 

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6 Embarrassing Cultural Diversity Faux Pas

Cultural diversity is an important aspect of the modern workplace. A wide range of voices is needed to ensure your organization is accepting and flexible enough to hold a wide array of views and opinions. Growth cannot come from homogeneous thinking, after all.

However, some businesses get a bit excited about diversity. Oftentimes, they are so focused on gaining diversity in the workplace that they become offensive. Ignorance is the bane of many diverse workplaces, as people are naturally predisposed to not reacting well to things they don’t understand.

Today, we’ll talk about some cross-cultural faux pas that you must do your best to avoid. 

What’s a Cultural Faux-Pas?

A cultural faux-pas is doing something offensive to another person’s culture on accident. Famous examples include eating with one’s left hand in India, being too familiar with Japanese or German businessmen, or not finishing a meal made by someone from the Guangdong province of China. There are certain cultural things that different people will be affected by.

Do note, however, that this is very much a case-by-case basis. You should always, first and foremost, create a safe and nurturing environment for your employees, clients, and business partners by simply asking them if they are comfortable. Pay attention to them during the conversation, and encourage them to say what they are or aren’t comfortable with. 

After all, they are still people. They may have committed some cultural faux pas themselves at some point. If you are understanding and polite, chances are they will return that feeling in kind. 

Generally speaking, being mindful of others will get you through most cultural faux pas concerns, and apologizing for it afterward is fine. Some people may even self-deprecate, which increases their rapport with the other person.

Examples of Cultural Diversity Faux Pas

Here are some broad and embarrassing mistakes to look out for.

Joking About Religious Holidays

When a person is abstaining from doing a certain thing or was absent for that day, always check if they’re doing it for religious reasons. You don’t want to be the person making light of another person’s religious practices for an offhand remark. 

For example, if you notice a Muslim friend isn’t eating much, check if it’s Ramadan. During Ramadan, avoid asking out Muslim associates to lunch meetings, or for a “night on the town”, especially if they are actively practicing.

Awkward Greetings

There are millions of different greetings out there. The vast cultural diversity makes it understandable if a person doesn’t know every single one from the get-go. The important thing to understand about these is that both parties are just different in showcasing politeness and affection. 

For example, patting a child’s head in Japan or America is cute. However, it is seen as a big no-no in Thailand, as the head is considered the cleanest part of the body. Patting or ruffling it, it’s a sign of disrespect.

Rude Gestures

Body language and hand gestures are major yet underrated aspects of communication. During meetings, proper team communication relies on knowing the different cultures on your team, and what gestures to use so that they know exactly what you mean.

For example, a thumbs-up might be seen as a show of positivity or support in American culture, but for Iranians, it is the equivalent of a middle finger. For Buddhists, pointing your feet at them is considered an insult, because they consider the feet the dirtiest part of the body.

“Yes Means No”

A lot of people might come from cultures that are averse to direct confrontation. During meetings, you might think that they actually have no problems with your plan, either because they nod their heads or are simply agreeing out of politeness. 

However, in China, it is a highly personal and contextual society. Many people say things that aren’t “implicit” so as not to start direct confrontations. That is why it’s important to talk to these members privately as well, to gauge their thoughts outside of a public setting.

Don’t Get Touchy

Generally speaking, always wait for the other party to do their greeting first. This lets you gauge if they are comfortable with things like handshakes, hugs, or pats on the back. Some cultures such as Italians, for example, are very intimate and even kiss each other on the cheek.

Other countries, such as Sweden, are averse to such intimate gestures. For them, it is only reserved for people close to them, not people they barely know. It’s always best that you adjust to the other party first, whenever possible.

Conclusion

Avoiding cultural faux pas is difficult, but not impossible. More than anything, most people already appreciate the extra steps you take to respect their culture. When you make a mistake, it’s good to apologize and make light of yourself. 

Additionally, they are going through cultural faux pas of their own when talking with you. In the end, it’s about setting boundaries and being honest about what to expect from each other.

To learn more about the different cultural pitfalls in business such as how to be a diverse recruiter or the racial wage gap, follow our blog here.

 

Written by: Chatty Garrate

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Is Your Recognition as Impactful as it Could Be?

Recently, I was reviewing survey data from a client we are working with who specifically asked an open-ended question around recognition. Employee’s responses were eye opening. I found that while some were seeking monetary recognition, like bonuses, raises, etc., many were simply asking for words of encouragement or a simple “thank you” for a job well done.

It got me thinking about the power of compliments at work – something so simple that can make a huge difference in employee engagement, job satisfaction and company culture. As if the stars aligned, I’ve been working on developing my own leadership skills, including a recent training exercise in giving compliments.

I learned there are two types of compliments, a half compliment and a full compliment.

A half compliment sounds something like, “good job,” or “excellent work.” And while it, of course, is positive to tell your employees these things it doesn’t intentionally reinforce the behavior.

A full compliment has two parts. First, it involves naming a specific behavior. It sounds like, “great job using a calm demeanor and tone with that difficult customer today!” The second part is including how it benefited you, the team or the organization as a whole. It would sound something like, “great job using a calm demeanor and tone with that difficult customer yesterday, you were a great example to the rest of the team and how they might navigate a similar situation moving forward.”

See the difference?

Providing a full compliment is also another way to reinforce your company’s core values. One of our core values at Civility Partners is “Learn a Lot”, meaning we are always looking for new ways to expand our knowledge and grow. So, a full compliment with core values attached might look like, “Rebecca, great job sharing what you learned around compliments on our blog. You’re really embracing our core value of Learn a Lot and it makes a huge impact on the organization as you’re able to apply your learning internally.”

By utilizing core values in your recognition, you are actually bringing them to life in your organization. So rather than being words on a website or wall, they are actually being valued and used by employees internally, which is a driving force for building a positive culture.

It’s human nature to seek recognition for a job well done and studies show that recognition is key to job satisfaction and in turn company culture. In fact, a recent study by the Cicero Group found that, “50% of the employees believe being thanked by managers not only improved their relationship, but also built trust with their higher ups.”

So I challenge you to practice giving full compliments to your staff, peers, and even your boss. Then, reflect on how they respond to it and watch the magic grow.

I’m sure you’ll notice a difference in their job satisfaction and overall engagement!

Sincerely,

Rebecca Del Secco & The Civility Partners Team

P.S. This post is inspired by Leadership Labs, hosted by Consilio!

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Four Ways How Leaders Can Engage Teams and Promote Mental Wellness At Work

Have you ever worked at an organization where the leaders were engaging, motivating, and genuinely cared about putting mental wellness first, and how good it felt to work there? Think about how great it would be to feel like you had the confidence to talk to your boss about your needs and what is on your mind.

To instill this confidence, engage your team, and foster mental wellness, try evaluating how you lead with these four focus areas.

Check-In Regularly 

Think about how often you meet with your team members individually. Do you usually get your team together for group meetings? Or do you only meet with individuals when a concern comes up? Do you allocate performance management meetings to have conversations? It’s time to build up relationships with your team members. Team meetings are great, but holding a weekly or bi-weekly one-on-one meeting can make all the difference in not only your employee’s performance but wellbeing and overall engagement as well.

For instance, according to Gallup, “On average, only 15% of employees who work for a manager who does not meet with them regularly are engaged; managers who regularly meet with their employees almost tripled that level of engagement.” Not only can frequent one-on-one meetings boost engagement but they can help foster wellness.

Having one-on-one meetings can provide the means to build confidence and the opportunity for employees to share their progress, ask questions and feel safe to share concerns. Some individuals may not feel comfortable sharing their thoughts at team meetings and need the opportunity to speak on a more one-on-one basis.

This can help provide employees with a safety net to be able to voice personal concerns and ask for help and support. It can also give them reassurance that their ideas, overall wellness, and satisfaction matter. Building these relationships helps to strengthen the overall team dynamic. Your leadership and coaching can help employees to become more vocal and able to better express themselves, share their points of view, and present their ideas to the group. Not only that, but it can help you to understand their preferred feedback, learning, and presentation styles. Holding regular team meetings and having one-on-ones will boost engagement and bring the communication loop full circle.    

Pay Attention

As a leader, taking care of all your management responsibilities can make you start to simply check off boxes or rush around. However, it’s important that you slow down and pay careful attention to your team’s morale and behaviors. If you notice your team is becoming less engaged or someone seems to be struggling, take note. Be aware of signs of depression and anxiety, such as loss of focus and irritability. The symptoms can be shown through behavior and performance.

Does an employee seem constantly fatigued, closed in, unmotivated, or overall seems to be down? Don’t wait to have a conversation. Ask your team how they are doing and feeling. Do they feel burned out? Do they need additional team members to handle the workload? For individuals, don’t wait to have a conversation. Use your one-on-ones as opportunities to check in on wellness.

Talk about mental health and encourage your team members to take a break if they are feeling overwhelmed. If you need some conversation starters, here are five questions to ask to help your employees with stress. Be open with your team and do group stress management exercises. Also, don’t hesitate to recommend some resources that may be helpful such as different types of therapy to relieve anxiety.

Take a Look at Your Communication Style

Fostering both team and mental wellness at work have a lot to do with communication. As a leader, how you communicate can either make or break a positive workplace environment and a healthy team dynamic. Do you seem open to hearing your team’s ideas, or do you seem closed off by challenging and questioning their suggested approach to every project? Doing so can cause your team to feel defeated and mentally checked out. Instead, encourage your team to speak up and share their thoughts.

Try debriefing with your team at the end of meetings. Ask questions like: what is your perspective, do you have a different approach, and what are your concerns? It is important to not constantly talk at your team, but rather keep things conversational. This will help your team to get the dialogue flowing and to feel happy to share their ideas, be forthcoming, and feel welcomed.

Lead By Example

Just as you are observing your team’s dynamic and behavior, your team is doing the same by paying attention to how you lead. Your leadership and behaviors set the atmosphere and model what is acceptable and tolerated at work. How you treat others is very important, especially during times of conflict. When faced with a challenge, do you come off as accusatory and jump to conclusions regarding an employee’s performance? If your team sees you lashing out they may begin to treat their colleagues the same.

When this happens, psychological safety goes out the window quickly, and the atmosphere can become toxic. If you don’t earn your employee’s respect, team members may not only disrespect you but disrespect others, and workplace bullying can take root. Instead, lead by example, and embrace emotional intelligence.

Approach situations objectively. Instead of assuming, listen to your employees. Your empathetic approach will help you to solve both problems. This will demonstrate to your team that you are open-minded and willing to listen to their side of the story and that everyone’s mental well-being is being respected. By modeling this behavior and setting the tone, your team will follow suit.

Strive to be the leader that you would want to be led by. By approaching leadership with an empathetic mindset and taking these strategies into consideration, you are sure to have an engaged, healthy, and happy team.

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3 Tips for Creating Psychological Safety in Training Programs

If you’re a training facilitator, you know some participants may not necessarily feel comfortable in a workshop environment. This may stem from social anxiety, power distance considerations, or fear of being judged for what they might share during the experience.

The good news is this discomfort can be mitigated by training facilitators who are willing to implement elements of psychological safety.

Psychological safety is feeling comfortable to ask questions, contribute ideas, voice opinions, challenge the material being offered, and be your true self (What powerful learning opportunities for the whole group to benefit from – am I right?) without fear of being judged, shamed, or criticized by facilitators or their fellow participants.

 

If you want to cultivate high engagement, deep retention of material, and a positive experience for learners, here are 3 tips for creating psychological safety in your workshops:

 

Be vigilant at addressing natural fears of embarrassment or marginalization.

It’s the facilitator’s job to remain vigilant at addressing these fears to develop deeper layers of inclusivity as people are encouraged to authentically share layers of their truth.

One way to do that is to encourage the quieter voices to come forward without singling out anyone. Be sure to always “call people in” vs “calling people out”. Small group work and Zoom breakout rooms also offer safer opportunities for the more reflective voices to have the space to share and this can increase inclusivity and engagement.

 

Be mindful of your own reactions.

Nothing kills psychological safety quicker than a negative reaction to what a participant shared or asked. We facilitators must be willing to do some self-reflection and temporarily suspend potential criticisms so we can better be of service to our learners.

We’re constantly tested by what’s brought forward by participants – we of course have our own biases and experiences. But we must remain mindful of what we’re projecting outwardly in responses within our training spaces.

Side note, having a negative reaction to a comment or question could also appear as favoritism for the dominant voices in the room… the opposite of creating an inclusive work culture.

 

Safely address participants or situations that are creating a negative or unsafe space.

The key is to make every experience a learning opportunity, even if it means slowing down to offer additional training concepts, share a personal relatable experience, or offer real time group coaching to navigate challenges brought up during a particular segment.

When handling adverse situations in real time, the goal is to meet participants where they are, protect them from being wronged, and invite them to have new considerations and perspectives.

Creating a psychologically safe learning environment is key to successful learning.

 

Sincerely,

Toni Herndon and the Civility Partners Team

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Do you have what it takes to be a millionaire? The secret sauce is not what you think.

A survey of 733 multi-millionaires throughout the US were asked to rate factors (out of 30) most responsible for their success. These were the top 5:

Being honest with all peopleBeing well disciplinedGetting along with peopleHaving a supportive spouseWorking harder than most people

All five are reflections of emotional intelligence, not IQ.

Albert Einstein’s IQ was estimated at 160, Madonna’s is 140, and John F. Kennedy’s was only 119, but as it goes, your IQ score hardly rates in comparison with your EQ when it comes to predicting your success, professional achievement and, therefore, earning power, according to Forbes Leadership. In fact, IQ was 21st on the list and was only endorsed by 20% of respondents.

If you want to be successful in any capacity – be it personally, professionally, or financially, improving Emotional Intelligence has to be top of mind.

 

So here’s 5 tips to improve your EQ:Listen. Actively listen to what people are communicating to better understand and empathize with their experiences. Don’t judge, and show you’re listening with a nod of the head, a question, or other types of feedback.Resilience. Allow imperfection. Pay attention to how you react in emotional situations. Practice acceptance. Bounce back from adversity. Find balance.Relationships. Be open to feedback and criticism. Decrease conflict by stepping into someone else’s shoes. Know your stressors and manage them.Vocabulary. Use an extensive vocabulary of feelings. The average person can identify only three emotions when they are actually feeling them: happy, sad, and angry. Yet, according to Brené Brown in her book, Atlas of the Heart, there are 87 emotions and experiences that define what it means to be human.Emotions. Identify your triggers. Be aware of physical symptoms. Manage your negative emotions. Engage in positive self-talk. Practice mindfulness.

Want more information and practical tools? Check out our menu of trainings here.

 

Sincerely,

Kathy and The Civility Partners Team

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