Innovation and advancement seldom occur without taking risks. That being said the biggest impediment to risk-taking is fear—fear of failure, fear of the unknown, fear of injury, fear of shame, blame, and repercussions, etc. 

Safety is not just about our physical wellbeing. It is also about our mental wellbeing. Therefore, creating a safe environment should be one of our highest priorities of leaders. Yet, it is amazing how many managers don’t give a lot of thought to the safety of their teams. In fact, in pursuit of greater [personal] gain many managers readily put their teams in harms way, which only serves to increase team fear.

Great leaders, like trapeze artists, however, understand that safety nets compel greater risk taking. One of the greatest safety nets is the vulnerability of the leader.

In 2015 Google published results from a study called Project Aristotle, which involved studying hundreds of Google’s teams to figure out why some stumbled and others soared.

Google found that the strongest teams weren’t filled with the brightest minds or the hardest workers; the #1 thing that led to team success was psychological safety.

Google also found that a team has psychological safety when its members believe they can take risks without feeling insecure or fearing embarrassment. In one case at Google, a leader by the name of Matt Sakaguchi promoted psychological safety by asking each team member to share something that others may not know about them.

Matt went first. He said, ‘‘I think one of the things most people don’t know about me is that I have Stage 4 cancer.’’ He explained that, way back in 2001, a doctor discovered a tumor in his kidney. By the time the cancer was detected, it had spread to his spine. For nearly half a decade, it had grown slowly as he underwent treatment, while continuing his work at Google. Recently, doctors had found a new, worrisome spot on a scan of his liver that was far more serious.

To read more of Google’s findings follow this link to What Google Learned From Its Quest to Build the Perfect Team as published by the New York Times Magazine.

In his organizational health model, Patrick Lencioni demonstrates that Vulnerability-based Trust is the foundation for cohesive teams.

Vulnerability creates a sense of safety between team members…and when the leader goes first in demonstrating vulnerability the rest of the team feels much safer in being vulnerable.

So, if your team does not seem to be cohesive and if you feel teamwork is lacking maybe it is because fear has hijacked your team’s sense of safety…putting them into fight, flight, and/or freeze mode. Maybe it is time for you to demonstrate greater vulnerability.

How a leader can demonstrate greater vulnerability: At the beginning of your next team meeting start by telling a story about your past that shares information about you that none of your teammates have knew before.

Herb Mast is a Leadership Coach and Employee Engagement Specialist. Learn how he can assist you in implementing the principles and concepts presented here.