Introducing "Food for Thought" #97. The formula is simple: two inspirational messages a month to help you strengthen your team's cohesion.
Why do some teams perform well... while others stagnate despite their talent?
For a long time, I thought it was a question of commitment... of having people really "tattooed" by the company, that this was the key. But I wasn't getting to the root of the problem.
It's not a commitment problem, it's a TRUST problem. Because without trust, according to neuroscience, there aren't the social factors necessary to create engagement.
When we talk about trust, we're referring, more precisely to the notion of PSYCHOLOGICAL SECURITY…
The day the question shifts from "How can I get more from my team? to "What's stopping my team from expressing itself fully?", you've entered the National League of Team Synergy.
What science says
Google's Project Aristotle, a large-scale study of hundreds of teams, identified one factor explaining team performance: the ability to share ideas, issues and concerns without fear of personal repercussions.
In other words, power :
- ask for help
- admit a mistake
- take risks
- propose new ideas
- ask questions
- provide feedback
Successful teams are not the ones without clashes. They're the ones where disagreements can be discussed openly.
Three simple practices to get you started
Creating psychological safety isn't a question of personality, it's a question of leadership first.
1. Knowing your team members for real
In many teams, we know the roles very well... but very little about the people behind the roles.
But knowing :
- what motivates and demotivates a team member
- what he needs to be at his best
- the impact I have on others
completely changes the way we interact.
Taking time to share from human to human: listening, vulnerability, benevolence, empathy. When these behaviors are present, trust is established.
2. Admitting mistakes
When a leader hides his missteps, the team will do the same.
Conversely, by talking about what went wrong and the lessons you learned from it, you invite everyone to do the same.
Nothing instills confidence like a leader who knows how to admit his or her mistakes with humility.
3. Making room for quieter voices
In many meetings, you hear the same people over and over again... not because the others have nothing to say, but because the context doesn't always allow it.
Create speaking turns, slow down the pace of exchanges and explicitly invite everyone to contribute, transforming the quality of discussions.
Psychological safety doesn't come from grand speeches, but from moments when everyone feels their voice counts.
Making the invisible visible
The biggest trap with psychological safety is that we don't see it. It appears in our team dynamics, often invisible.
And until this is measured, the discussion remains vague..
"He lacks confidence."
"We should communicate better."
"Seems to me we work in silos."
This is precisely what the Team Cohesion Index : measure collective dynamics, put words to collective experience and open a structured discussion.
It all starts with conversation
Jokingly, my father Daniel likes to say that Patrick Lencioni has forgotten a level at the base of his pyramid of the 5 dysfunctions of a team.
Even before trust... there's conversation.
A real conversation, supported by common points of reference, enables us to understand human dynamics rather than just interpreting them. What was once unclear becomes clearer.
The results of your Team Cohesion Index serve precisely as a starting point: a mirror to talk about the collective in an accurate and safe way. A gateway to what usually remains implicit in the team.
Organize a team-building workshop.
