What’s possible when Teams move from Fearful to Fearless?

‘Who are you?’ ‘Who are you not?’

These are the two questions I ask Leadership Teams at the beginning of a workshop on Building Trust. These reflection questions elicit such rich responses which can often be used to frame the rest of the session. Where the Team wants to be is often implicit in the response to the second question.

Does everyone have a voice? Does everyone Speak Up?

Who can respond to this if the answer is no? And if the answer is yes, why I am here? Why have you invited me to deliver this workshop?

Everyone feeling like they can ‘speak up’ is crucial if Teams are to be high performing and successful. We know that using our voice is the reason we are sitting at the leadership table. But what if we feel fearful…..?

We know fear inhibits learning and our ability for effective thought and action. We will not feel safe to speak up, sharing our concerns, questions and ideas if we do not feel psychologically safe. So let’s imagine the reverse. Let’s imagine an atmosphere where there is no fear. One where every voice is encouraged, is listened too, is heard? What’s possible then?

How do we help our colleagues Speak Up?

Ask good questions and model great listening.

Use a ball - once caught, a contribution is expected (a pass is allowed but only a temporary pass!) - everyone must catch the ball once.

Destigmatise failure - use different language - ‘what can we learn from this?’

Use a chime to keep the discussion focussed.

Encourage small group discussions.

And try this……

If you’re the leader of the Team, wait until all have spoken before you share your thoughts. This will allow the space for others to share their views without knowing if they support or oppose yours.

If you are interested in learning more about how to develop your Team Intelligence by Building Trust, do get in touch.