#feministfriday episode 512 | how much uncertainty
Good afternoon everyone,
I've recently taken on a new team at work, and I'd forgotten how much it takes to be the new manager of a quite large group of people. It's also the work I love the most, so that's good. Here's Amy Edmondson, who popularised the idea of psychological safety, in a long and good interview about leadership:
I’m framing the work and by saying “no one’s ever done anything quite like this before”, I’m saying: “It’s gonna be natural and normal to get some things wrong and some things right along the way.” So in other words: “I’m all ears — I wanna hear about all of it.” You’re framing the work in such a way that it’s both clear how much uncertainty, how much possibility there is of things going wrong, but also how important everybody else’s input and engagement is. If I can really let you know that I believe you matter, you’ll show up. Most of us are waiting for an invitation to make a difference. [...] I can say: “It’s the kind of work for which we’re gonna need everybody’s help”, but if I actually say: “David, what’s on your mind?”, that makes it very hard for David not to respond. If I say: “Lisa, I think you were on call last night. What did you see?”, you’re gonna feel a sense of embarrassment if you have nothing to say, rather than the other way around.
A conversation with Amy Edmondson about psychological safety and the future of work | by Lisa Gill | Medium
From the Leadermorphosis podcast
Love,
Alex.