Google spent years studying effective teams — and one trait stood out

http://www.businessinsider.com/google-spent-years-studying-effective-teams-this-is-what-they-found-2018-1

Justin Bariso, Inc.
Feb. 3, 2018

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not too long ago, Google set out on a quest to figure out what makes a team successful.

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what was the most important factor contributing to a team's effectiveness?

It was psychological safety.

Simply put, psychological safety refers to an individual's perception of taking a risk, and the response his or her teammates will have to taking that risk.

Google describes it this way:

In a team with high psychological safety, teammates feel safe to take risks around their team members. They feel confident that no one on the team will embarrass or punish anyone else for admitting a mistake, asking a question, or offering a new idea.

In other words, great teams thrive on trust.

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Here's a glimpse at some of the actions that can help you build trust into your teams:

Listen first. ...

Show empathy.

Be authentic.

Authenticity creates trust. We're drawn to those who "keep it real," who realize that they aren't perfect, but are willing to show those imperfections because they know everyone else has them, too.

Authenticity doesn't mean sharing everything about yourself, to everyone, all of the time. It does mean saying what you mean, meaning what you say, and sticking to your values and principles above all else.

Set the example. ...

Be helpful. ...

Disagree and commit.

As Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos explains, to "disagree and commit" doesn't mean "thinking your team is wrong and missing the point," which will prevent you from offering true support. Rather, it's a genuine, sincere commitment to go the team's way, even if you disagree. ...

Be humble. ...

Be transparent. ...

Commend sincerely and specifically. ...