Coaching for Leaders

404: How to Build Psychological Safety, with Amy Edmondson

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Amy Edmondson: The Fearless Organization

Amy Edmondson is the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at the Harvard Business School. She has been recognized by the Thinkers50 global ranking of management thinkers for many years and was honored with their Talent Award in 2017. Amy is the author of several, highly regarded books on teaming and psychological safety, including her newest book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth*.

Key Points
  • Psychological safety varies a lot even inside of an organization.
  • More effective teams may appear to make more mistakes, but it’s likely those teams are just more comfortable reporting mistakes.
  • Instead of calling it an error, call it an accident. And rather than calling it an investigation, call it a study.
  • It’s fine to say, “I don’t know” when appropriate because it signals to others that it is okay to admit when they don’t know something.
  • If somebody shares a problem, say thank you and then ask how you can help.
  • Leaders should be concerned if they’re not hearing bad news.
    • Resources Mentioned
    • The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth* by Amy Edmondson
    • Amy Edmondson faculty page
      • Book Notes

      Download my highlights from The Fearless Organization in PDF format (free membership required).

      Related Episodes
      • Find Courage to Speak When It Matters Most, with Allan McDonald (episode 229)
      • Turn Followers Into Leaders, with David Marquet (episode 241)
      • The Path of Humble Leadership, with Edgar Schein (episode 363)
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