Inclusivity as Psychological Safety
A Google workplace study found that the most important dynamic in a successful team was one in which the team was reassured of psychological safety: could the team take risks without feeling insecure or embarrassed. The five keys to a successful Google team (Google, 2015)
Yet, an Ipsos study found that only 47% of teams agree their workplace is psychologically safe. Half (47%) of Global Employees Agree Their Workplace is Psychologically Safe and Healthy: Three in Ten (27%) Say Not (Ipsos, 2012)
Having a single way of thinking never drives innovation and growth, and teams that feel safe to speak up are five times more likely to innovate, see 50% higher productivity and 27% lower turnover.
Unity
When we work together on common goals, whether we’re part of an athletic team, a corporation, or a community, we have expectations that we each have something to offer.
In my time at Ford Motor Company, we all had badges that included the famous One Ford plan on the front, and a list of “Expected Behaviors” on the reverse. In the list of behaviors, there were a couple that implied that dignity was at the core of them:
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Include everyone: respect, listen to, help and appreciate others.
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Enjoy the journey and each other; have fun—but never at others’ expense.
We saw these behaviors exhibited by our leaders and by each other on a regular basis; such actions were a powerful reminder of the importance of dignity and the power each of us held to build a stronger team.
I’m fortunate to be able to apply Alan Mulally’s “Working Together”© Leadership & Management System to my clients — a connected and collaborative culture of love by design to create value and growth for all stakeholders and the greater good.
Working Together requires unity. And I can’t think of a better lesson on unity than the sermon Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde gave last week. ‘Contempt is a dangerous way to lead a country’: here is the sermon that enraged Donald Trump, The Guardian, January 24, 2025
“The first foundation for unity is honoring the inherent dignity of every human being…A second foundation for unity is honesty in both private conversation and public discourse…A third foundation for unity is humility, which we all need, because we are all fallible human beings.”
Dignity, honesty, and humility bring us closer together.
Honor people’s dignity. Include everyone. Seek unity.
There’s so much to learn,