Lead Psychologically Safe Teams

As part of Project Aristotle, Google studied hundreds of their internal teams to identify what made them successful. Researchers found one factor that was most critical to making a team work: psychological safety, a shared belief that each person could take risks or make mistakes without fear of being shamed.

Whether leaders are the biggest enablers of — or the biggest barriers to — psychologically safe teams depends in large part on the leadership styles they use in different situations.

In this class, we will focus on four leadership approaches — consultative,  supportive, challenging, and authoritative — and when to use each in support of a positive climate where everyone feels comfortable sharing their ideas, asking for help, or challenging the status quo.