The Act of Leadership

Chapter 6MAKE IT SAFE TO STUFF UP High performance is not about being perfect

This chapter in a nutshell

• you'll be introduced to the concept of psychological safety
• you'll be encouraged to reflect on the level of psychological safety in your team
• you'll learn how to develop higher levels of psychological safety in the teams you lead

Have you ever wondered what separates the best teams from the rest? Whether it's in the boardroom, school staffroom or even a professional sporting team's locker room, there's something that's even more important than talent when it comes to being the most effective team possible.

Get on the bus or you'll find yourself under it

‘I've told them,’ said Stephanie — very calmly — ‘if I get called in to the boss over any of this, I'm throwing them all under the bus.'

I was working with a group of 16 middle leaders at a school in Sydney, and it was one of those moments when you sense that while everyone heard what was said, no-one quite believed what they'd heard.

To clarify what she meant, I offered Stephanie the opportunity to give us a little more context.

‘That might have been the gist of what you said, but what words did you actually use?’ I enquired.

Stephanie looked at me. ‘Those exact words. Why should I pay for others' mistakes? They need to know there's a consequence if they don't do their job properly.’

Stephanie was responding to a question I had posed to the group about what happens if people make mistakes when part of a ...