“The fearless organisation is one in which interpersonal fear is minimised so that the team and organisational performance can be maximised…It is not one devoid of anxiety about the future” – Amy Edmondson, The Fearless Organisation 2019
Last week I turned off the Apple news feed on my phone. No longer did I have the opportunity to feel both enraged at the narcissistic rants of certain world leaders or outraged at the lack of PPE for frontline NHS staff. As a parent of two daughters, one isolated in London on furlough from a charity and one about to start work as a dietician in the NHS, I still feel concern for their safety – albeit they are both robustly healthy and in good spirits (I think it was the free Disney channel).
On a video coaching call yesterday, I was struck by the guilt of a young working Mum as she tried to balance the needs of home schooling with the demands to be available for dial-in meetings. Talking to our 80 plus year old neighbours (with multiple heart bypasses between them) out for their walk before going out shopping, I wondered if they had received their letters about their three-month lock-down? They said that they were more at risk if they had to stay indoors without a break from each other than they were going outside!
There does seem to be an outpouring of support on channels such as Linked In; albeit with some questionable (to me at any rate) posts such as: “Has COVID-19 hit your sales channels? Join us on 22nd April for our exclusive LinkedIn Masterclass”. I think I get the intent to support those of us who are freelance; perhaps a little more empathy and compassion in the messaging please?
We have a new norm that is outside any of our existing frames of reference. We are living and working with massive levels of uncertainty that impacts on ourselves and those we hold dear. There will be a time to reflect and review lessons learned; at present the challenge is to find our own route to (psychological) safety as leaders. We can impact on others through our own fear or we can aspire to be that change that helps other to feel safe.
“Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” ― Mahatma Gandhi
Author
Andrew is an Aziz Executive Coach specialising in Ethical Leadership. He is passionate about organisations providing an inclusive culture, without the fear of discrimination or bias, whether conscious or unconscious. He works alongside senior leaders on ethical decision making to achieve a triple bottom line balance between people, planet and profit.
Further reading
New leadership models for remote communication
You own oxygen mask – best support your colleagues and your team
The perfect Storm – Unsafe Uncertainty
