How to unlock psychological safety and drive innovation

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“It’s not me versus you, it’s us versus the problem.”

Last week, Simon Sinek , bestselling author of “Start With Why” and “Leaders Eat Last,” sat down with LinkedIn’s Jessi Hempel to share his leadership tactics and how to embrace chaos.  

When companies demand innovation, but immediately shoot down ideas, people stop sharing. Sinek believes that psychological safety in the workplace is the foundation for bringing the best ideas forward and cultivating growth. It creates space to admit mistakes, ask for help and crave constructive criticism to improve work. 

💡Try this:

• The “spears” tactic: At the end of every presentation, ask for a “spear,” a gap or holes in the thinking to make the project better. Over time, people will crave spears because constructive criticism is aimed at the problem, not the person. 
• Choose “Kind” over “Nice”: Nice avoids discomfort. But kind leadership is having hard conversations that help someone grow, with support and resources. Leaders who choose kindness build resilient teams that learn fast and trust each other to tell the truth.

Have a leadership dilemma? Simon breaks down how to deal with these three common business scenarios here:  

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Dragos S, U.K.: With AI and automation disruptions, how do you maintain trust and psychological safety when your team's actual job descriptions are constantly in flux? 

Coming Up

Don't miss these upcoming conversations, exclusive for Premium subscribers:

• Want to make AI your career advantage? Join LinkedIn CEO and Executive VP of  Microsoft Office and Microsoft Copilot Ryan Roslansky in conversation with LinkedIn Chief Economic Opportunity Officer Aneesh Raman on Tuesday, March 24. 
• Looking to find meaning in work? Harvard professor and bestselling author Dr. Arthur Brooks will share practical ways to reconnect with what truly matters on Wednesday, April 1.
• Build a consulting business that works for you. Erin Halper , founder and CEO of The Upside , shares practical strategies on Wednesday, April 8. 

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