Change Leader Insights

In this episode of Change Leader Insights, Jessica Crow speaks with Minette Norman, an award-winning author, speaker, leadership consultant, and former Silicon Valley software executive, about how psychological safety and strong listening skills create inclusive change leaders.

Minette knows that when groups embrace diversity in all forms, breakthroughs emerge, and innovation accelerates. Before starting her consultancy, she was responsible for influencing over 3,500 engineers around the globe at Autodesk, focusing on state-of-the-art engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture. As the author of The Boldly Inclusive Leader and the co-author of The Psychological Safety Playbook, Minette helps leaders unleash the full potential of the people in their organizations.

During the conversation, Jessica and Minette discussed what change leaders can do to create more psychologically safe environments. Says Minette, “If you are leading change, one of the first things you are going to have to do if you want to create an environment where people will speak up and share what’s on their mind is you have to ask them to explicitly share their ideas. Ask the question, ‘What am I missing?’”

Highlights from the conversation include:

☑️ Practical tips for leaders to become better active listeners and support their team members effectively

☑️ Signs and symptoms of psychologically unsafe environments and tips for improving psychological safety in your environment

☑️ Examples of how low psychological safety during change leads to a cascade of negative consequences

If you want to learn more about psychological safety and listening, be sure to tune in and hear what Minette has to say!