When we flip the safety discussion over, we find trust. When I trust you I provide the safety you need to take risks and speak your truth without fear of ridicule, rejections or retribution. What Does Trust Mean? I like to use the following four beliefs I learned from Esther Derby to define trust in the workplace. I believe you have the ability to do the things you say you’ll do. I believe you will do the things you agree to do  – or let

Most of the time, most of the people don’t put a lot of thought into their behavior. They run an “auto-pilot” program that governs how they respond. If we examine the elements that generate behavior, we get something like this list: Physical sensations – information coming into us from “the real world”. Beliefs and Values – concepts and things important to us Feelings – both physical and self-esteem Data/facts – information I “know” Thoughts – What we do with the data/facts Intuition – Hunches based

©2006 Don Gray and Jerry Weinberg Engelbert frowned, trying to understand why Pamela had been acting strangely. Her programming skills were among the best in the company. She had a way of getting things completed. That’s why he made her project lead for Uberdenke’s next UDCRM product release. With only two weeks left until the ship date, Pamela’s personality had shifted. Normally calm and composed, she had been seen crying after meetings. Occasionally he could hear her screaming at the programmers working for her. Something

We’ve defined safety to mean we can take risks and our coworkers/management will support us, especially if setbacks occur. We have the ability to speak our truth without fear of ridicule, rejection, or retribution. Throughout the day we will feel differently about the risks we’re willing to take and what we might say. I’ve seen conversations spin on a dime when a senior manager stuck his head in the conference room. How can we measure safety in the workplace? What does it mean to productivity?

When I talk with other coaches about teams, I  hear a lot about “creating safety” and “safe teams”. I don’t hear much about how to do that. While debriefing a coaching simulation the 2010 AYE Conference we listed things coaches did and models coaches might use. Someone said, “Create a safe environment”. I replied, “And how do we do that?” And out came ideas and suggestions on how to do that! I’ve been flipping through my agile books looking for discussions about teams and safety.