"More than two decades of research-from Harvard professor Amy Edmondson's pioneering studies to Google's landmark Project Aristotle-have found that the strongest predictor of high-performing teams isn't talent or strategy, but psychological safety. As Edmondson defines, it's "a shared belief held by team members that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking." It's what gives people the confidence to speak up, take creative risks, and learn from failure-and it's foundational to innovation."
"I learned this the hard way. While earning my MBA at Stanford, I cofounded Embrace, a social enterprise that created a low-cost, portable incubator for premature babies in underserved communities. Our device has now helped to save over 1 million newborns. As CEO, I was praised for my vision and tenacity. I moved to India-home to over 20% of the world's premature babies-and routinely worked 80 to 100-hour weeks."
Psychological safety is the strongest predictor of high-performing teams and denotes a shared belief that the team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking. Leaders cannot create psychological safety for others without first cultivating it within themselves. A social enterprise founder worked extreme hours to scale a low-cost, portable incubator that helped save over one million newborns and received broad recognition. Hiding exhaustion and projecting invulnerability produced a culture of burnout and discouraged candid speaking. Displaying vulnerability and admitting struggle enabled team members to share difficulties, fostering openness, learning from failure, and greater psychological safety.
Read at Fast Company
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