“It’s not the rupture that defines a relationship, but how we repair it.”
“It’s difficult to feel psychologically safe if we don’t know who’s in the group with us.”
“If people don’t speak or contribute in the first few minutes, they are much less likely to speak at all.”
“Without psychological safety, even the best safeguarding policies will fail.”
“Reducing or removing fear is the foundation of effective safeguarding.”
Leadership
“It’s not enough to avoid the behaviours that make you unapproachable. You have to actively engage in behaviours that make you approachable.”
“In both coaching and leadership, the moment we stop trying to prove we have all the answers is often the moment others begin to shine.”
“Because ‘approachability’ isn’t a fixed characteristic, it is also something we can improve.”
“Developing an attitude of Humble Inquiry helps us become more skilful at building relationships.”
“Practising asking rather than telling opens the door to dialogue, engagement and a more positive interaction.”
“Unless we’re genuinely curious – rather than judgemental – about what’s going on at the sharp end, we risk fixing the wrong problem.”
Learning & Experimentation
“When there’s no room to experiment, we play it safe, we follow only the most tried and tested formulae, and we miss opportunities to develop and grow.”
“Psychological safety is what enables us to learn collaboratively.”
“In a classroom, we know that we need students to ask questions, make mistakes and share their ideas if they are to have any chance of learning. The same applies to adults at work.”
“If we’re primarily concerned about not failing, instead of wildly succeeding, we find ourselves slowly descending into safe mediocrity rather than striving for excellence.”
Power & Risk
“In many contexts, those with least power are asked to ‘speak up’ while ignoring the very real risks that doing those things may pose for them.”
“Dissenting and diverging opinions need to be explored and investigated, not shut down. The messenger should always be thanked, and definitely never shot.”
“Welcome and act on all concerns, take them seriously and reinforce the idea that every voice matters, regardless of its seniority, status, language or volume.”
“Resilience is often presented as a moral virtue, when it’s really a relational and contextual phenomenon.”
