These moments or seasons of disruption and turbulence are not uncommon. Invariably all teams, somewhere, sometime experience a foundation being smashed.  These moments may become the alchemy for a new and wonderful start, where the team includes and transcends the pain, becoming wiser. Or… these moments may initiate a downward slope of increasing pain and blame.  

coaching and facilitation experiences

Facilitating a process of recovery can be tricky. Some people are emotionally engaged, some horribly hurt, and to add to this complexity, a stranger in the mix, is not always welcome. As the facilitator, the early establishment of psychological safety is therefore an imperative. Failure to create this will invariably result in a “crash and burn.” Psychological safety is that beautiful place where we don’t fear judgment, which allows people to be vulnerable and to hear others. As I waited for the team to enter, I pondered the creation of such safety and settled on the following key components.

As I waited for the team to enter the room, I pondered on the creation of such safety and settled on the following key components:

  • Psychological safety flourishes in an adult to adult environment. The team does not need a teacher, mentor or critic. They need to be given space for focused expression where they can become ‘path finders’. As we started the facilitation, I was careful to not position myself as the guy who has it all together, and rather thanked them for having me participate in moving this forward.
  • Psychological safety flourishes when people live into their values. When things implode so too might our values. When we name and express our values, contemplating how these values inform this situation, we free people to bring a higher self to the pain. As we journeyed through the process, I asked them to consider what values they felt were most important to them which need to be lived into.
  • Psychological safety flourishes in the creation of a new problem. The problem at hand, the reason why we are there, is emotive. When we create a new problem, one that requires reflection, we enable resourcefulness. Our guiding question through the facilitation was “how do use this to make us stronger and better?” The “how” problem established a most important principle – “whilst we cannot and must not ignore pain, the reason we engage the pain is from a place of hope.”
  • Psychological safety flourishes when the elephant is not ignored. Everyone can see it – so what’s the point of pretending its not there? Name it - allow appropriate expression for everybody’s viewpoint of the elephant. Being prepared to name the elephant will bring emotion and the potential for healing. As we journeyed through the process, I had to keep reminding myself to be comfortable with the discomfort of expression, and not to try and rescue. After all such expression was the evidence of safety emerging.

There is never a certain outcome of these facilitations, as we work with something we cannot control – human beings. But if we can create this space for them, the best possible outcome emerges. I am always grateful for how my work calls for me to be a student. After all, this life is full of unbelievably profound beauty; and so much of it is found through life’s lessons.