Psychological safety can be defined as “a shared belief held by members of a team that others on the team will not embarrass, reject, or punish them for speaking up.” When psychological safety in the workplace is high it helps to foster trust, enables others to act, bolsters engagement, and enhances the resiliency of individuals and the organization. The benefits of having high levels of psychological safety can also look like team members putting in more discretionary work effort for projects and tasks; productivity increasing and thus yielding positive business results; and vastly improving the agility of an organization to adapt and innovate in a fast-changing and competitive market. Each team member, regardless of rank or role within an organization, plays an integral part in the creation, maintenance, and sustainability of psychological safety.

In part 1 of this four-part series on exploring practical ways to foster psychological safety in the workplace (and in life) I covered the important role that connection plays. In part 2 we’ll explore how compassion can positively impact psychological safety.

In times like these many folks are operating with shorter fuses and frazzled nervous systems which can adversely impact the way they show up, especially in the ways they interact with us. Some of these interactions may include phone calls from disgruntled clients or community members, short-tempered and edgy family members, or snappy interactions with discontented co-workers. All of which can add unnecessary stress to our already at-capacity mental and emotional state.

And yet, when you choose to see beyond the presenting behaviours, you’ll realize that what these folks need (especially now more than ever) is to be seen, heard, and cared for. To put it another way, the more you can understand what’s going on with people, the more compassion, connection, and positive influence you can have as a peer, team member, parent, leader, professional, loving partner, or friend. Awareness of others’ circumstances by trying to “put ourselves in their shoes” and showing compassion are conduits to how we can achieve that.

What is compassion?

Compassion is often regarded as being sensitive to caring about the feelings of others. It involves feeling another person’s pain and wanting to take steps to help relieve their suffering. The word compassion itself derives from Latin and means “to suffer together.”

Compassion is related to other emotions such as sympathy, empathy, and altruism, although there are some key differences. Empathy refers more to the general ability to take another person’s perspective and feel the emotions of others. Compassion, on the other hand, is what happens when those feelings of empathy are met with the desire to help. Compassion motivates people to go out of their way to relieve the mental, emotional, and/or physical pains of others and themselves.

The great news is that developing compassion does not require years of training and can be cultivated quite quickly. With deliberate focus and intention, we can nurture and cultivate a more compassionate outlook and by extension take compassionate actions. Doing so will help to foster more psychological safety in the workplace and life. Here are some ways to foster compassion with others:

See the person beyond the behaviour. All behaviour has a positive intent (no matter how it might appear). What is important is to see beyond the presenting behaviour and be curious to discover the intention. Doing so will also help you get a clearer picture. Most times the person’s intention can get lost in their behaviour and speech gets lost in translation. In these situations, it can benefit all involved if you come from a place of curiosity to try and understand their point of view or situation. By doing so you will begin to build trust, rapport, and connection through this compassionate action.

 Seek to understand. 99% of the time most people’s intentions are pure and good. Take a genuine interest in getting to know what is important to other people; seek to understand their perspective (especially when it is opposite to yours). To jump-start, consider asking yourself ahead of the interaction “What are three things that I am going to like, appreciate, or admire about this person?” You can also seek understanding by first finding commonalities. Rather than focusing on how you differ from others, try instead to recognize what you have in common. Reflect on the commonalities you have with everyone else – we are all connected to the larger human experience.

Hang up your judgement and labels and exchange them for appreciation and acceptance. When we label someone, we lose our ability to see what we can gain or learn from the other person, and we miss out on an opportunity to positively influence them. We short-change ourselves on experiences and the ability to learn and grow from one another. When we label ourselves, we cut off the resources we have available that could help or serve us. Keep labels for soup cans, not people.

Remember you are a W.I.P. Spoiler alert: You are a work in progress (W.I.P.) like everyone else. Everyone (including you) is doing the best they can with what they know and have from where they are. Be mindful that you may not have the whole story or picture of what is going on with someone else. We will never know what might be going on for someone behind the scenes. Remembering that you are a work in progress will help you to maintain compassion for others.

BE present and fully listen. Avoid allowing your ego or bravado from jumping in to instantly “respond”, “fix” things, or “rescue” the person. Despite our good intentions, in doing so, we rob the other person of getting the lesson, learning, and growth that they need. Hold space for the other person with your focus, attention, and listening. Another thing to keep in mind is that only 7% of how we communicate is through the words we use. 93% of how we communicate is through our tone of voice and largely our physiology (body language). When someone is speaking do what you can to minimize distractions and be fully present. It’s never about having the perfect things to say; it’s about your presence. So rather than overthinking what you should or will say in response, simply BE present. By providing a safe space for the person to share what is going on for them you’ll foster compassion, connection, and trust.

Show compassion, especially when your own experience is different. Your model of the world and perspective is different based on your past, history, experiences, decisions, memory, current outlook, life circumstances etc. Remember your humanness and that human suffering is something we all experience at times in our lives. At some point, you may need compassion and understanding from others too.

When we show and share compassion with others not only do they feel seen, heard, and connected we reap the positive benefits as well. Compassion is contagious and is a cornerstone for psychological safety. The higher the level of psychological safety a workplace team has will yield many positive benefits that will positively impact individual team members, the team, and ultimately business operations. Be sure to model, offer, show, and share it with others that you live and work with and watch what unfolds.

A couple of questions for you to consider on fostering compassion with those that you live and work with:

Taking the perspective of a detached observer, like a “fly on the wall”, how do you show compassion in your daily life towards others whom you live and work with? What do you notice or observe?

Given that, what new ways might you use to demonstrate and foster more compassion with those you live and work with?

Next week we’ll continue part 3 in exploring practical ways to foster psychological safety in the workplace and life.

To explore impactful and results-driven strategies on how to improve psychological safety in your workplace team contact Sara@sarawegwitz.com or book your free getting started session with Sara today!

Thanks to the power of nature, you can improve your mental health in as little as five minutes.

Researchers at the University of Essex in the United Kingdom looked at the impact exercising in a green environment has on mental health. They found that only five minutes of movement in a green setting (e.g., walking, gardening, cycling outdoors) was enough to mentally recharge and boost mental health. After five minutes the benefits plateaued suggesting that the biggest return on investing time outside is gained in the first five minutes.

It is incredible that in as little as five minutes of outdoor activity in nature, you can give your brain a break, gain a fresh outlook and offer a mental reboot. Take time throughout the day to take a break and tap into its health benefits.

Research also suggests that spending time in nature may:

Lower the stress hormone cortisol

Lessens the physical and mental effects of stress

Reduce blood pressure and heart rate

Increase immune cells called natural killer cells that fight viruses

Give a boost to your mood

Help to lift depressive symptoms

Decrease feelings of anxiety and worry

Improve mental clarity, focus, and concentration

Ways to incorporate more nature into your day:

• Spend time outdoors on your coffee or lunch break by taking a walk through a local park or find a spot near the ocean or body of water to take in nature.
• Consider moving your meetings outdoors. Walking meetings are a terrific way to connect with others while benefitting from being outdoors. Win/win!
• Put it into your schedule; block time each day to head outside
• Head out for a hike on a day off and notice the different shades of autumn that are present
• Consider bringing the outdoors in by incorporating more plants into your workspace

Write yourself a “wellness prescription” of taking a nature break 5 minutes/day and repeat, as necessary. Your wellbeing will thank you for it.

It has been estimated that on average we have approximately 50 000 thoughts per day. Of those 50 000 thoughts only 5% are new. Consider that for a moment. Almost all of what we typically think about in a day is the same.

Our self-talk (internal dialogue), defines, reinforces, and at times confines, our interpretation of our outside world. In other words, our self-talk sets the frame in which we view our world. These thoughts, either positive or negative in nature, dictate how we interact with others and how we behave. Our experiences don’t define or defeat us. Our self talk does.
If we are honest with ourselves, most of the time our internal dialogue would register as negative in nature. The following strategies, when used consistently, can cultivate, and help shift your mindset to one that is more compassionate.

1. SPEAK TO YOURSELF LIKE A SUPPORTIVE FRIEND WOULD.

If one of our friend’s needed some support and care we would not choose to talk to them in a negative, destructive, and toxic way, would we? We’d likely be softer and gentler with our approach. The invitation here is to choose to use empowering, supportive, and kind language towards yourself. It might sound like this: “You’ve got this. I know times are tough right now and you are doing the best with what you have from where you are. Take it one step at a time.”

2. CREATE YOUR OWN MENTAL CUE.

Creating a mental cue can help shift your internal dialogue to one that is more supportive and compassionate. A mental cue is a statement that is positive, affirming, and helpful to you. E.g., “I can totally do this!” “I’ll figure this out like I’ve always figured it out.” “Focus now.”

3. JOURNAL WRITING.

Another way to build and foster a more compassionate and kinder mental mindset is through writing in a journal. When we put pen to paper and get out our thoughts and feelings out, it can shift perspective and offer new meaning and insights. Writing removes mental blocks and allows you to use all your brainpower to better understand yourself, others, and the world around you. In addition, you can hone your intuition/instincts.
Here is a simple exercise that may help. You’ll need a quiet place for this. Think of a situation that you would love to receive some guidance, help, or advice on from a positive mentor in your life. From here create some questions that you’d like to ask them. Ask one question at a time. Tune inward and listen for an answer. When you hear the answer write it out in your journal and move to the next question. This is a powerful activity that assists you to tap into your own intuition or internal wisdom.

4. START A VICTORY LOG.

Keep a notebook handy and fill it with your wins and successes as they happen. It doesn’t matter big or small they are they all count. It’s important to be consistent in capturing them. You may consider taking a few minutes each evening to reflect on your day and ask “What were three things that went or worked well today?” or “What happened today that was a win?”
When you have a low feeling day and need a boost grab your victory log and read through your wins and successes to date. It will remind you just how capable, resourceful, and resilient you really are.

5. WARMER…COLDER…

Remember this game? It’s all about feedback. Are you on course or off? Are you on track or off track? Are you getting close or moving further away? Choose to see the things that you are working on or goals you are working towards as feedback. Am I getting warmer or getting colder? Then adjust. “What action can I take that would get me back on track?” There is no such thing as failure, only feedback or results. Therefore, you can do no wrong. Either you get what you want or the lesson that you need. Embracing this practice will lead to greater confidence, flexibility, and self-acceptance. You will find that you become more compassionate towards yourself.

6. FOCUS ON LEARNING/GROWTH.

High quality questions tend to begin with “how” or “what”. These kinds of questions set your mindset up to look for the learning and growth in a situation and help maintain perspective. Asking high quality questions is also a great way to foster a more compassionate mindset. E.g., “Given my situation right now, what is my next best step?” “Given my low energy right now, what is the highest and best use of time?” “What can I learn from this situation? How can I grow?” Listen for the answers and follow through. When you choose to focus on what you can learn or how you can grow from an experience you are shifting your perspective and building positive reinforcement.

7. DO SOMETHING THAT YOUR FUTURE SELF WILL THANK YOU FOR.

It can be little or big, it doesn’t matter. It might be, setting up the coffee maker the night before so that when you awaken you smell fresh brewed coffee; making your lunch the night before; scheduling and booking a regular monthly massage; preparing for the week ahead on Sundays etc. What is one thing that you can do today that your future self will thank you for?

In conclusion, I encourage you to frame cultivating a compassionate mindset as a skill to learn. Focus on consistently practicing these or other strategies that work for you and over time, you’ll begin to notice how different your mindset becomes.

For more tools, support, and training for yourself and or your team contact sara@sarawegwitz.com

There is a story behind this message.

A few days ago, I was catching up with a friend down at a local beach. Being ocean side never disappoints with its abundant healing and grounding offerings as well as views.

As my friend and I were chatting away at a seaside picnic table a woman slowly made her way up from the beach towards us. With a big smile and an outstretched hand, she asked if we would like to pick one. Poking out of an envelope were several different patterned bookmarks. We happily played along and chose a pattern/print that spoke to us. On the other side revealed a message. Both my friend and I were pleasantly surprised with the messages we intuitively chose. We thanked this stranger for her kindness and generosity of spirit in sharing these with us.

“Dee” as she introduced herself, began to share that in her view “The world needs more positivity, love, and compassion especially now.” Having gone through her own recent life challenges, the idea came to her to the create bookmarks and offer them to folks she’d meet in the coffee shop or on her walks at the beach. In her words, she simply wanted to “Bring more light into the world.” Her thinking was that if even one of her bookmarks affixed with various messages of love, hope, and encouragement brightened someone’s day or helped someone going through a dark and tough time that’s what would keep her going. It was inspiring to hear her share her mission.

What stood out to me in this interaction was something much more than the message on the bookmark.

It was the humanness of the interaction. The simple yet deeper purpose of Dee’s offerings; her kindness; and pure intentions. Sometimes we forget how small acts of kindness can impact us and those around us in a positive way causing a ripple effect. You never know how impactful, timely, and far reaching your gestures of kindness can go.

Dee, mission accomplished. Thank you for brightening our day and being a light in this world.

To anyone needing to hear this message, your potential is unlimited!