The Empathy Edge

Minette Norman: Psychological Safety

Jun 27, 2023

39:25

To unleash the potential of all employees in your organization, you need to create an environment where they feel safe enough to offer new ideas, speak up about risks, and bring their unique perspectives. If your culture lacks psychological safety, you could be missing out on opportunities or running headfirst into costly and avoidable risks.

Today,Minette Norman, speaker, consultant, and co-author of the Psychological Safety Playbook, defines psychological safety and how it's intertwined with inclusivity and trust, and what role empathy plays in creating such a culture. We discuss clear markers of a psychologically safe culture, and what organizations miss out on when they punish dissent, failure, or authenticity. Finally, Minette shares fabulous and actionable ways you can work toward a more psychologically safe culture where your people do their best work. Today's episode is full of so many gems, take a listen.

To access the episode transcript, please click on the episode title at www.TheEmpathyEdge.com

Key Takeaways:

If people do not feel psychologically safe, they will not feel like they can speak up. Their amazing ideas will go unheard. Their points of view will go unseen.
Disagreement without personal attack is a sign of psychological safety.
It is important that leaders are more equipped and trained to have these conversations, with the correct vocabulary and understanding to talk about psychological safety.

"You don't come into a room and say 'This is a safe environment.' It happens over time when people see repeatedly that there will be no ramifications from speaking up. It takes time, consistency, and practice." — Minette Norman

Episode References:

The Empathy Edge Podcast - Kathy Klotz-Guest - Trust, Improve, & Humor for a More Innovative Culture
Amy Edmondson - The Fearless Organization
Jennifer Aaker and Naomi Bagdonas - Humor, Seriously: Why Humor is a Secret Weapon in Business and Life

About Minette Norman:

With decades od experience in the software industry, Minette Norman now focuses on developing transformational leaders who create inclusive working environments rooted in psychological safety. Minette has extensive experience leading globally distributed teams and believes that when groups leverage diversity, breakthroughs happen. Before starting her own consultancy she was VP of Engineering Practice at Autodesk, where she transformed how Autodesk developed software. Responsible for more than 3,500 engineers around the globe, she focused on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture.

Minette is a keynote speaker on inclusive leadership, psychological safety in the workplace, and embracing empathy. Named in 2017 as one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times and as “Business Role Model of the Year” in the 2018 Women in IT/Silicon Valley Awards, Minette is a recognized leader with a unique perspective.

Minette has co-authored he Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human and her second book, The Boldly Inclusive Leader, publishes August 2023.

Connect with Minette Norman:

Website: https://www.minettenorman.com/

Book: Psychological Safety Playbook: Lead More Powerfully by Being More Human https://thepsychologicalsafetyplaybook.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/minettenorman

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/minettenorman/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/minetten

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/minettenorman/

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