Psychological safety is an often-overlooked aspect when evaluating what is going on with your team. it is not that the concept doesn’t come to mind but very often managers and Executives will Implement changes or deliver messages that directly undermines psychological safety unnecessarily reducing the versatility and resilience of the employees to deal with other challenges (Scott, 2020; Mayers, 2017). In this article will explore the potential effects of stoic philosophy and Leadership on psychological safety for employees and discuss what the benefits are to the organization and employee engagement.
What is Psychological Safety and what contributes to it?
Psychological safety refers to the feel of an individual to safely Express their opinions, take risks, and be vulnerable within the organization and not fear negative consequences. an individual that has a high degree of psychological safety is going to be more willing to think creatively without fear of being reprimanded for not telling the company line if it Doesn’t work out. One way to think of this is if somebody feels extremely comfortable that their manager has their back then they’re going to be more likely to look for Creative Solutions. Alternatively, if somebody believes their manager will throw them to the Wolves when things get bad, they’re more likely to do what is expected of them in order to avoid standing out.
Stoic leadership leverages principles from stoicism that focus on things like rational thinking, emotional regulation, and self-awareness. Managers that demonstrate consistent High emotional intelligence which is related to many stoic principles are more likely to signal to employees that responses will be level-headed and taken into consideration positive intent. a stoic leader contributes to psychological safety in a few ways:
- Emotional regulation: Leaders that demonstrate a high amount of emotional intelligence or regulation are more likely to set an example of a work environment that is predictable and allows the employee to feel safe. emotional stability (Donaldson-Feilder & Davis, 2019) provides the employees with comfort that they can come to their manager with a problem, or a concern and it Be heard. When employees report to a leader that becomes emotional and irrational during times of crisis it reduces their effectiveness.
- Focusing on the solution: stoic leaders encourage problem solving. They do this by rather than dwelling on external factors focusing on what can be done and fostering a sense of empowerment that provides that emotional security and psychological safety that employees are looking for. Encouraging a problem-solving mentality and discouraging blame and other non-productive energy sinks the stoic leader enables the team to move past any crisis.
- Open communication: emotional regulation as well as focusing on solution attributes to a manager have the consequence of encouraging employees to feel comfortable communicating and sharing feedback. This involves communication with the leadership as well as their peers. If the goal is focusing on the solution and keeping a level head then having healthy debates about the best way to solve a problem becomes a safe place rather than a potentially contentious one (Edmondson, 1999).
- A culture of improvement: one of the wonderful things about stoicism is that it recognizes that humans are fallible. While stoic philosophy looks to reduce the amount of emotional input into our decision making, in no way does it pretend that our emotions are not part of the equation. A stoic leader following stoic principles will inevitably make emotional decisions sometimes, however the introspection and resetting due to continuous attempts for improvement help to support a culture of growth. A leader following stoic principles is more likely to acknowledge a misstep or be accepting of an employee’s misstep so long as the problem is recognized and there is a general desire to improve.
Resilience Finally stoic leadership emphasizes resilience at a personal level. There is a recognition that failures occur and that we need to adapt and improve as we move forward by learning from those errors.
These are some of the ways is that Organizations improve when a stoic philosophy is applied. the ultimate result of this is that the organization can:
- Improve collaboration due to higher levels of psychological safety (Edmondson, 1999).
- Increase Employee Engagement due to the employee’s motivation and sense of security (Mayers, 2017).
- Improve the employee’s well-being due to the reduced stress levels that the employee feels and increased job satisfaction (Brown & Ryan, 2003).
- Decrease attrition and retain top talent by offering an environment that qualified individuals want to be part of (Scott, 2020).
Conclusion:
Working to adopt a stoic philosophy and applying that to leadership principles offers valuable insights that can positively impact the employee’s experience. promoting emotional regulation, problem solving, communication, and resilience leads an organization into a more collaborative and trusting environment. The resulting benefits include improved well-being, engagement, and retention.
References:
Brown, K. W., & Ryan, R. M. (2003). The benefits of being present: Mindfulness and its role in psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 84(4), 822–848.
Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological safety and learning behavior in work teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383.
Lomas, T., Ivtzan, I., & Fu, C. H. Y. (2015). A systematic review of the impact of mindfulness on the well-being of healthcare professionals. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 71(1), 1–17.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101.
Olafsen, A. H., Halvari, H., Forest, J., Deci, E. L., & Kanten, A. B. (2017). Testing the hierarchical model of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation in the sport domain. Frontiers in Psychology, 8, 244.