Field notes

Leaders view failure and error very differently on purpose. It may sound like a matter of semantics, but for leaders, failure and error are very different outcomes that must be addressed distinctively. So they choose to treat these two outcomes differently to jumpstart improvement and to make more progress.

Several years ago, elementary school teacher Kyle Schwartz wrote “I wish my teacher knew _______” on the board and asked her 3rd-grade students to complete the sentence. They responded with honesty, comedy, and vulnerability. What she learned changed her as a teacher.

Psychological safety is no management fad. Its role in improving performance is so critical that it has superpower status on the best teams. The bottom line is this: When people believe they are protected from embarrassment, ridicule, and humiliation for what they say and do, they operate more openly and learn more actively.

Leaders who facilitate acts of service build teams in the process. When team members use their talents to serve the community, they lift themselves up and learn how to better collaborate. Now that’s a Win-Win.

The fear of disappointing people can paralyze you. It’s evidence of the stock you have in what others think of you. But using that fear to motivate you is what good people do. It’s usually not enough just to make others proud. You need a dose of trepidation to keep you on your toes. Not surprisingly, when we do the right things, the fear disappears.

Many people, leaders included, operate based on their feelings. Their behaviors and choices reflect what they are feeling at any given moment. How they feel determines what they do or don’t do. For instance, when things are going well and they feel positive, they are more likely to spend time with team members and dig into how they are doing.