Leadership Insights

Are You a Leader Who Makes People Feel Safe?
Highly Productive Teams All Have This in Common

By Don Janssen, DVM

Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes, and that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking.
—Amy Edmondson

The procedure began at 7 a.m. on a brisk March morning at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, which was then called the Wild Animal Park. I had recently graduated from veterinary school and was an intern at the San Diego Zoo. I was invited to observe an anesthesia procedure on a young white rhinoceros in one of the Park’s large savanna habitats. It was going on breeding loan to another zoo. This was the first time I had witnessed the anesthesia of a rhino in the field. Despite the early hour, I was bouncing inside with expectations of what I would learn.

I arrived with the veterinary team and stopped outside the 100-acre savanna habitat at a staging area. As we completed last-minute preparations, I watched the other groups coming and doing the same. Altogether, there were a dozen trucks and vehicles, and over 30 people. The procedure they were about to perform was full of uncertainty and complexity, which was inherent in working with the largest animals on rough terrain, among dozens of herds of other large animals. Nevertheless, they had a tremendous track record of success.

The head veterinarian stood amid this assembly. He immediately had everyone’s attention and led a brief review of the plan and logistics. There were a few quick questions and clarifications. Then, it was time to work.

A seasoned wildlife care specialist, driving a feed truck with the veterinarian in the passenger seat, advanced toward the animal. When the positioning was just right, the veterinarian discharged the dart projector, propelling a dart containing an anesthetic. Everyone else stayed quietly out of sight, monitoring their radios for word that the drug was taking effect. When the word came, all the vehicles moved strategically and efficiently. The event reminded me of a choreographed ballet mixed with a busy construction scene. Giant dump trucks, forklifts, and wildlife care specialist trucks moved to protect and direct the rhino, and keep it safe from other animals, steep terrain, and a large pond.

The animal came to rest in a flat, sandy area. The teams positioned the sizable transport carrier in front of the animal and surrounded it on three sides with dump trucks. The veterinary team assessed the animal and administered the anesthetic reversal. The rhino stood and entered the transport carrier, and was secured.

A High-performing Team
After the procedure, the teams gathered to evaluate the outcomes while it was fresh in their minds. They were satisfied with how it went, but dug deep to learn from the things that did not go as planned. There was no fear of speaking up. People took responsibility and shared what they learned without an atmosphere of blame. They questioned how they did things. They faced conflict head-on, but it was clear that they also had each other’s backs. No one was left out. I was struck by the level of cooperation, trust, and camaraderie. Their focus was clear: they would do an even better job next time.

How Team Performance Suffers
Teams that function like this are rare. All too often, team members are more concerned with themselves, preserving their status, and how they appear to others. They don’t speak up for fear of repercussions. These teams lack psychological safety. Research shows that psychological safety is the number-one predictor of group learning and performance—even above individual competence. Yet few leaders are aware of the damage to productivity, innovation, and employee engagement when people feel rejected or humiliated.

Consider the following hypothetical scenarios:

  • A wildlife care specialist has a welfare concern about one of the animals in his area. He does not trust his team leaders because when someone challenges an established idea, they label that person a “non-team player.” So, he does not say anything to his supervisor. Instead, he submits an anonymous animal welfare complaint.
  • During an anesthetic procedure on an animal, a veterinary technician notices the veterinarian drawing up the wrong drug. She knows she should say something. But the veterinarian has a habit of belittling anyone who questions him. She stays silent.

These hypothetical scenarios show the damage that could happen in teams that lack psychological safety. When workers decide that it is not safe to speak up, the team suffers.

Building Psychological Safety in Your Team
What can we, as leaders, do to build psychological safety in our teams? Leaders must set the tone and be examples. The following are strategies leaders can employ to create working environments where people feel included and safe—to learn, contribute, and challenge the status quo.

  • Normalize and reward vulnerability. Acknowledge your fallibility and be ready to admit mistakes. Be open-minded and empathetic when someone is brave enough to be vulnerable. This vulnerability takes courage and humility, but it helps make it safe for others to speak up.
  • Be inclusive. Establish a sense of belonging, creating a circle of safety that includes every team member. Teams can’t afford to have outcasts. Each person matters in a team—no exceptions. Leaders must create conditions for trust and cooperation to make it easier for anyone to speak up.
  • Model curiosity. Ask and encourage respectful questions that contribute ideas, facilitate learning, and challenge the current situation. Modeling curiosity builds safety by showing the need for speaking up.
  • Foster a learning environment. Rather than promoting a “blame environment,” remind people that their work is full of uncertainty. Furthermore, it is the nature of teams that members depend on one another. Therefore, we can’t always know what will happen. Everyone’s best thinking is needed. This gives the reason for speaking up. Establish norms for how teams deal with failure.

In my years of working with dozens of teams, the ones I look back on with joy had this in common. Team members trusted one another and had the freedom to have honest and tough conversations to deal with the most challenging situations. These teams all had psychological safety.

Will you be known as a leader who made people feel safe?

For more information on psychological safety, visit amycedmonson.com.

Please send comments or questions to don.janssen@gmail.com.

Don Janssen, DVM, is a veterinarian and retired corporate director of animal health for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. He is the author of Upside-Down Leadership: A Zoo Veterinarian's Journey to Becoming a Servant Leader. Find more information about the book and other articles by Don Janssen here.