Co-Creating Safe and Brave Spaces
Leaders, saying the words "safe space" is not a magic wand that--abracadabra!-- transforms your workplace or team meeting into a zone of safety.
Power dynamics impact your ability to build cultures of psychological safety for team members with different social identities, personalities, privilege, and lived experience. The most important question you should always ask yourself is, "Safe space for whom?”
One of the biggest misconceptions about psychological safety is that it promises comfort. People from historically included groups tend to think that safety means that they will be affirmed and validated rather than challenged. But actually psychological safety means that no one will be harshly judged, embarrassed or punished for speaking up, especially when voicing challenging or risky ideas.
Because of the conflation of safety and comfort, I advocate for spaces that are both safe and brave. In brave spaces, we own our impact on others (regardless of our intentions) and are accountable for supporting all of our colleagues' psychological safety. Brave spaces cannot be achieved without a foundation of equity; this means proactively addressing structural barriers to safety that impact Global Majority people, women, LGBTQIA2S+ folx, religious minorities, non-native English speakers, people with disabilities, introverts, and others.
What do brave spaces look like in practice? Let's take a look:
✴️ Brave spaces are not declared into being but offered through compassionate and consistent invitation to be exactly who we are in each moment.
✴️ They are co-created through a felt sense of connection and trust.
✴️ Brave spaces invite us to speak our truth (not just what others want to hear)
✴️ In brave spaces, we expect to experience discomfort. Participants realize that their perspectives may be challenged to boost knowledge and insight.
Are you creating a culture of safety and bravery for everyone on your team? Message me and let’s discuss how I can help!
Image credit: Elisa Glick Consulting.
