People Podcast: Psychological Safety with Balz Marti & Daniela Landherr
In this latest podcast episode, Balz Marti and Daniela Landherr talk about Psychological Safety. As the former Head of Talent Engagement at Google based in EMEA, now self employed Executive Coach and Keynote Speaker, Daniela was a client of Google's much-cited Aristotle study, which identified Psychological Safety as the key factor for high-performing teams.
In their vivid conversation, Balz and Daniela do not only deep dive into the intriguing results of the studies about Psychological Safety, but they also highlight what companies can do to create Psychological Safety in their working environment.
A Feeling defines the Business Success
Emotions rarely find a place in today's business world. Even more surprising is that the feeling of Psychological Safety is supposed to be the key for innovation and creativity.
Truly understanding and solving complex problems requires diverse perspectives, discussing different opinions and dealing with disagreement and conflict. This is not a surprise.
But what is surprising is that this only happens when people feel psychologically safe to speak up and to talk about mistakes. Psychological Safety is by far the number one factor for innovation and creativity. Much higher than having a vision, defining clear goals, or bringing the smartest people together.
Following from this: It is a waste of talent to hire the smartest people if they can't work in an environment where they can feel psychologically safe and contribute in the best possible way.
How can leaders amplify Psychological Safety? How can companies create a culture in which people feel safe to take interpersonal risks?
These are the burning questions many companies have. Daniela emphasizes the importance of learning how to deal with conflict or to talk about the elephant in the room - skills that need to be developed in many teams.
Or, as Amy Edmondson says: Psychological Safety is the soil that needs to be cultivated so the seeds – the people – can grow, innovate, create, engage and empower.
When you can be your authentic self and lead with vulnerability, you know you are in a psychologically safe space.
Our business world is suppressing emotions. Yet, it is working at its best when people show their authentic selves and lead with vulnerability. And this is when Psychological Safety is amplified and what makes human beings unique and powerful.
Learn about effective tools you can apply in your daily life to amplify Psychological Safety.
Enjoy the Podcast with Balz and Daniela!
About Guest Daniela Landherr
Daniela Landherr is an executive coach who guides leaders to create a human space amplifying psychological safety at workplaces in order to empower people to make meaningful contributions in their organizations. As the former Head of Talent Engagement at Google based in EMEA, Daniela and her organization elaborated what it takes to engage talent and she coached and developed leaders in transforming work cultures to inspire and drive cutting-edge innovation.
Daniela obtained a Master in Change from INSEAD and completed an Executive Leadership Program at the Stanford Graduate School of Business. She works with partners across various industries and academia in fields of building trust at work through trigger and energy management, building effective teams as well as engaging communication at scale.
Outside her own business, Daniela coaches executives pursuing the embaX at the ETH and HSG universities, lectures at the University of Applied Sciences in Business Administration in Zurich at the EMBA in Digital Leadership, serves on several boards and delivers inspiring keynotes and leadership trainings internationally.
About Author & Speaker Balz Marti
Er studierte Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie an der Universität Bern und ist aktuell als Senior HR Business Partner in einem multinationalen Unternehmen tätig. Er arbeitet zudem als selbständiger HR Berater und unterrichtet an der FH Fribourg.
