One thing leaders are responsible for is the overall "atmosphere" of the place where they are in charge. I realize this nebulous term "atmosphere" can be descriptive of many different things. How I am using it here is to describe the overall sense that all people in the workplace have toward the workplace. Is there suspicion at work? Do the workers come away with a sense of completeness to their work? Is there camaraderie present between everyone in the workplace? Do you avoid topics or issues? Is there a lot of conflict present? All of these, as well as many more, demonstrate the sense of atmosphere in a given organization.
Today I want to focus on the atmosphere being one we could call safe. Is it a place where all who work there are able to express themselves without worry? Do they sense that they can ask questions, even if the questions are hard questions? Can they express doubt about direction? If there is an issue that needs resolving, is the environment one that allows them to work through the process of resolution? Reading through these, you likely get the sense that an answer of yes means that this is a safe atmosphere.
What is the importance of a safe atmosphere in the workplace? It allows individuals the opportunity to truly focus on doing well what they are there to do. If the workers always have to worry about offending the boss or someone else, they will spend copious amounts of energy to avoid doing so. If conflict is constantly present, everyone involved spends needless time and effort worrying about its impact on them. If suspicion is present, everyone spends much energy protecting themselves. In all of these situations, productivity suffers.
Leaders are the ones in charge of creating the safe place. To do that, the leader must be comfortable working through the challenges and issues that lead to an environment that is not safe. The leader also must be someone who sets the tone firmly, yet can be gentle with people. It is tremendously helpful for the leader to be curious about people, to find out what is most helpful to each one in creating that safe place. The leader must be pushed to consider all the different people involved, their reactions, and to be prepared to shift course if any chosen course of action threatens.
A safe environment allows everyone involved to have a sense of joy in the workplace while also challenging them to strive for more. When you have a safe workplace, both of these can and do exist at the same time.
Today I want to focus on the atmosphere being one we could call safe. Is it a place where all who work there are able to express themselves without worry? Do they sense that they can ask questions, even if the questions are hard questions? Can they express doubt about direction? If there is an issue that needs resolving, is the environment one that allows them to work through the process of resolution? Reading through these, you likely get the sense that an answer of yes means that this is a safe atmosphere.
What is the importance of a safe atmosphere in the workplace? It allows individuals the opportunity to truly focus on doing well what they are there to do. If the workers always have to worry about offending the boss or someone else, they will spend copious amounts of energy to avoid doing so. If conflict is constantly present, everyone involved spends needless time and effort worrying about its impact on them. If suspicion is present, everyone spends much energy protecting themselves. In all of these situations, productivity suffers.
Leaders are the ones in charge of creating the safe place. To do that, the leader must be comfortable working through the challenges and issues that lead to an environment that is not safe. The leader also must be someone who sets the tone firmly, yet can be gentle with people. It is tremendously helpful for the leader to be curious about people, to find out what is most helpful to each one in creating that safe place. The leader must be pushed to consider all the different people involved, their reactions, and to be prepared to shift course if any chosen course of action threatens.
A safe environment allows everyone involved to have a sense of joy in the workplace while also challenging them to strive for more. When you have a safe workplace, both of these can and do exist at the same time.
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