Safety ≠ comfort

Safety does not equal comfort.

Psychological safety is not the same as comfort. Many of us work in challenging, demanding environments that put us under pressure. We have to have difficult conversations. We have to make hard decisions. We have to calculate risks. In these scenarios, we’re likely to be uncomfortable.

When we’re learning something new – really pushing and challenging ourselves to grow – we probably feel uncomfortable. At the edge of our capabilities, without the comfort of knowing if, how or when it will click into place. This doesn’t feel very comfortable for most people.

This is where psychological safety matters most.

If you are in an environment where you feel secure feeling insecure – you are experiencing psychological safety.

If you can trust the people around you to give honest feedback (to your face), you are experiencing psychological safety.

If you can make a mistake, and the expectation in your team is to ‘fess up quickly so they can rally around you to put it right, you are experiencing psychological safety.

Safety is not comfort. Safety is like a net. It will stop you from falling to the bottom, but you’ll probably get some bumps and bruises from the fall. It will hold you until you’re ready to get back on your path. Or it will give you a pause if you need to rethink or change direction.

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About Rebel Edge UK

Learning organisation, psychological safety, Uncategorized

December 13, 2024

business, development, failure, growth, leadership, learning, Learning organisation, management, psychological safety, psychology

Who’s the leader of the rebellion?

Rebecca describes herself as a hybrid between a bulldozer, 1940’s telephone operator and All-American cheerleader. She will cut through the barriers that get in the way, she will connect you with people and ideas that deliver your purpose and she will champion and support you every step of the way.

Utilising organisation design and development alongside process improvement methodology, Rebecca supports organisations to build the capabilities to work with complexity and rise to whatever challenge comes their way.

She has a track record of turning artificially sweet cultures into healthy, resilient, fun workplaces with the right skills and behaviours. She helps overwhelmed leaders navigate complex landscapes and cut through the noise to help they and their teams identify their quality measures and organise in the most effective way to deliver results.

Rebecca gets under the skin of problems and help people confront blockers to change – through personal development, building resilience, mental toughness and cultivating habits of professional curiousity.

At Rebel Edge, we don’t solve problems – we create environments where people solve their own problems.

CUSTOMER FOCUS • OPERATIONAL EXCELLENCE • ORGANISATION DEVELOPMENT • SERVICE DEVELOPMENT • PURPOSE DRIVEN • IMPACT THAT MAKES A DIFFERENCE • CHALLENGE THE SYSTEM • POSITIVE DISRUPTION • SYSTEMS THINKING •DESIGN THINKING

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Or email me rebecca@rebeledge.uk

Join the Rebel Salon

We know that life’s challenges are unique and complex for everyone. Let’s connect with the hive mind and seek fresh insights from each other. The rebel salon is a different way of searching for insights to those tricky issues and stuck behaviours. The group will help you look at an issue or problem from different angles, giving you fresh insights so that you can take control and try something new.

Link under construction – but email me: rebecca@rebeledge.uk if you are interested!

JOIN A REBEL SALON