The ability for you to be you at work and feel like that is respected, valued, and appreciated. That is psychological safety. While not always talked about or viewed as important, psychological safety is one of the key factors in building a high-performance team and company. More importantly, it is the key to activate your employees to align and buy into your company’s purpose and mission.  In this episode, Maria and Susan discuss these and other crucial factors encompassed in the intersection of empathy and psychological safety. 

Key Takeaways:

• An organization truly comes alive when you can articulate how your existence makes the world a better place - that is your purpose. 
• Psychological safety is key to drive success in high performing teams. Employees who feel psychologically safe are more likely to stay loyal, innovate, perform, and move up. 
• Many companies have realized how much communication, connection, and community their organizations need to have because of the global COVID-19 crisis.

"Is your culture psychologically safe? If you don’t know the answer, find out quickly. Understand what affects policies, practices, and behaviors then set the cultural and behavioral norms to better engage your employees." —  Susan Hunt Stevens

About Susan Hunt Stevens: Susan Hunt Stevens is the Founder & CEO of WeSpire, an award-winning employee experience technology platform focused on engaging people in purpose-driven initiatives, ranging from sustainability to social impact, holistic wellbeing, and inclusive cultures. She founded WeSpire to use her digital behavior change expertise to help people embrace healthier and more sustainable lifestyles after her son was diagnosed with serious food allergies. She was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for New England, a Boston Business Journal Woman of Influence, and to the Environmental Leader 100 list. Prior to WeSpire, she spent 9 years at The New York Times Company, most recently as SVP/General Manager for Boston.com, a $60M digital media division.

Connect with WeSpire and Susan:

Facebook: facebook.com/WeSpire/

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wespire

Susan Hunt Stevens’ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/huntstevens/

Twitter: twitter.com/gowespire

Check out the State of Employee Engagement Survey: WeSpire's 7th Annual research report on how organizations engage employees, examining how companies are driving and promoting positive impact initiatives like sustainability, wellbeing, and inclusive workplace culture. Download the 2019 report here, and take some time to contribute to their 2020 research: https://www.wespire.com/resource/state-of-employee-engagement-2019/

Don’t forget to download you free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Twitter: @redslice

Facebook: Red Slice