Psychological danger
I recently came across this article from the U.S. Army about psychological safety. What I found intriguing was that it pointed to the need to first identify the opposite–psychological danger–and to recognize how it poisons teams and erodes our sense of belonging.
The authors write, "Psychological danger encompasses fear of negative repercussions or exclusion."
I was inspired to think about all this for our industry - what are some of our own signs of psychological danger? Whether we are conductors or ensemble musicians, these thoughts are commonplace:
If I don't perform well, I will get fired.
If I don't perform well, my boss and colleagues will lose respect for me.
If I admit that I'm wrong, I will lose my status among my colleagues.
If I need to seek help, I will seem weak and not valuable to the team.
If I speak up about something, I will be ostracized as the whistleblower or be punished for doing so.
If I disagree with someone else (especially a leader), I will be on their bad side and never get that promotion.
We hear these thoughts and self-talk in people across many industries. In the U.S. Army, the authors explain, "What these thoughts have in common are the fears that being vulnerable puts us at risk of future exclusion, based on the assumed reactions of our leaders and peers. It is dangerous for leaders to perpetuate this mindset in our military culture because we then leave our Soldiers to fight alone, just as if we left them on the battlefield. Soldiers and leaders at all levels must invalidate these assumptions and remove these stigmatic fears, as everyone has a part in producing psychologically safe environments."
I can relate to this so much as a classically-trained musician in an industry where the definition of success is so narrow and where few people are allowed entry by gatekeepers. Even once you're "in", there is a constant fear of being pushed out and having to keep proving yourself that you're worthy of being there.
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So how do we stay away from psychological danger and move toward psychological safety?
It seems like the crux of the matter here is the sense of belonging. We can operationalize and normalize behaviors and mindsets that cue belonging. Here are some ideas for leaders:
Invite and accept feedback the way we'd want our team to be open about accepting them from us. Avoid the temptation to shut down criticism quickly to protect ourselves and our status. Get rid of the mentality that the conductor is always right - we are not nor do we have to be! Start initiatives to openly invite feedback and input. People might be hesitant at first, but it can become the norm of how things are around here.
Rethink our narrow definition of success in traditional training and workplaces. How are we defining "making it"? What kinds of success do we celebrate? Might there be other types of wins we've overlooked to recognize? How might that lead to feelings of exclusion and fear of not being good enough in our people? What is the story of our own success and how is it projecting onto our organizations?
Reconsider the mentality that seeking help and admitting to mistakes are signs of weakness. Daniel Coyle in The Culture Code writes, "When we are vulnerable we can potentially lose our status by showing our weakness. Modern workplace and relationships are based on status structures." This mentality is baked into us, and as leaders, we can model thinking otherwise through our words and actions. As Colye advocates, "Spotlight your weakness. Show you make mistakes. Radiate humility."
Cultivate belonging with "magical" feedback. People are intrinsically motivated by growth, so the last thing we want is for our fear of losing belonging to prevent us from seeking growth. We can set up an environment where it is clear that the reason for our feedback is to cultivate an on-going relationship instead of jeopardizing it by putting a job on the line.
Coyle shares this one phrase, based on a study by psychologists from Stanford, Yale, and Columbia: "I’m giving you these comments because I have very high expectations and I know that you can reach them."
He explains here why this phrase is deemed "magical" by the researchers. It generates a powerful cue for a sense of safety and belonging. The result is that we stop worrying about losing our jobs or our leaders thinking poorly of us. Instead, we open the door to using our full capacity to receive the feedback as an opportunity for growth.
Let's consider how our actions, words, and mindsets may contribute unknowingly to psychological danger that stifles growth, promotes fear, and alienates our people from each other. Let's lead by helping our people feel safe so we can all do our best work and achieve the unimaginable.
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