Psychological safety is a commonly used term, but it can be nebulous for some to grasp and a challenge to establish within teams.

In practical terms, teams with psychological safety feel comfortable sharing their ideas, experiences, and opinions without fear of being railroaded or unfairly criticized by their manager and team members. Psychological safety unleashes collaboration, innovation, and creativity as great ideas, perspectives, and experiences are not held back.

Our job titles define us. They describe our key tasks and goals. They dictate what we do day in, day out. They outline the scope of our efforts.

Job titles can also limit us. They limit us by focusing solely on what’s within our job description and key responsibility areas. The result is a set of hyper-optimized fiefdoms focused on disparate goals and outcomes, that are not always directly aligned. Job titles can also be a drag on team chemistry.