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Beyond the Boardroom: Cultivating Psychological Safety Through Nature-Based Team Retreats
Your company can throw the most epic parties; your team can have massive amounts of fun and hang out in the coolest offices, and you've got nothing you can truly hold on to if you do not have psychological safety.
Psychological safety is the place where creativity, inspiration, thinking outside the box, and genuine feelings of flow and belonging originate.
It is simply essential to any group, team, or community that wants to collaborate and create value in a healthy and thriving environment.
The term itself was first used by Carl Rogers, an American psychologist in the 50s, as he reflected on the necessary conditions to encourage one's creativity.
Simply put, it is the belief that one won't be humiliated or told off for sharing their ideas, thoughts or failures. It is a shared expectation by members of a group (a community, a family, a group of friends, a professional team) that no one will be embarrassed, punished or rejected for asking questions or sharing opinions. It does not mean there will be no disagreements, but they will be worked through respectfully. In the context of work, it means you and any of your team members can show themselves as they truly are (no masks!) without fearing judgement and negative consequences on their status or career in the company.
Short answer: significantly.
Without psychological safety, people hide mistakes and withhold ideas. They aim to prove themselves and protect their image.
With psychological safety, people admit errors and voice suggestions. They strive to improve themselves and protect their team.
It is easy to imagine what can happen when there is psychological safety in a group: people are not afraid to speak up, share ideas, try new things, innovate, collaborate, solve problems, or ask for help. They become more engaged and involved in the group's overall success/well-being and its goal/purpose.
Psychological safety is indispensable to feeling a sense of belonging or community with a group.
"We are family." Few cringier words have been spoken by a manager to their team. Maybe the terms community and belonging scared you off. Perhaps you do not think you need to be "that" close with your colleagues. And that is fair—however, psychological safety matters for teams much more than we think.
It is the bedrock of most high-performing teams, as it allows everyone to collaborate freely, encouraging new, innovative ideas while fostering trust. Not only does it impact the mental health and well-being of the individuals on your team who feel more heard and engaged, but it also improves the productivity and innovation of your company in the long run.
So why does this have to do with team retreats, you ask? Because there are few better places to nurture and promote psychological safety in your team than on a getaway together, outside of the rigidity of the [home] office rules and policies.
Being free from most work constraints allows employees to open up more and show more of themselves outside of the professional setting.
Most of the activities during a team offsite promote collaboration and foster inclusivity, which builds more trust among participants.
By sharing out-of-the-ordinary experiences and overcoming challenges together, teammates tend to become more open to sharing more vulnerable sides of themselves, which also increases trust and, in turn, psychological safety.
Of course, nature plays a significant role in encouraging psychological safety. It has been proven many times that being in nature reduces stress and anxiety as well as promotes a sense of calm and peace, encouraging more openness.
Connections between team members tend to be more authentic when they participate in activities outside, such as hiking, running, doing yoga, or playing a game.
Psychological safety is not something you "get"; it is something you cocreate with your team.
It's like a baking recipe, where each ingredient has to be precisely measured. Luckily, all the ingredients are free and available to all who are willing.
Like everything else, with good leadership, it is as much what you say, and how you communicate it as what you do that will leave its mark. For this recipe to be successful, everyone must be encouraged and empowered to participate in the baking.
This is probably the toughest ingredient to harvest and, consequently, the one to start with. Knowing when and how to show vulnerability is extremely powerful in a group setting. Admitting fears, failures, or doubts has always been dismissed as signs of weakness and considered a negative trait in a person, especially in a working environment. What we tend to see, though, is that those who know to be vulnerable and open up about their so-called imperfection are more inclined to create deeper connections and build trust faster.
Without trust, there is no team. It is as simple as that. It is like an apple pie without an apple (and we will stop here with the food analogy). Working without trust means wasting a lot of time.
Trust is not a one-way street. This also means entrusting your team to participate in decisions about the company that will impact them. It means empowering them to become actors rather than spectators.
An ingredient we always think we have in stock and often seems to be gone missing (oops, we did one more analogy). Everyone is expected to show up at the office fully self-aware of their needs and feelings, but this is never addressed within the professional sphere. Finding ways to help your team members reflect and learn more about their own emotions and boundaries and how to express them adequately can do wonders for the team spirit.
Not everything needs to be a challenge. Discomfort means not letting people create some routines, not having any consistency, and working with poor systems and structures. That being said, it's easy to go overboard here. Remember that being too comfortable can also prevent anyone from exploring new challenges. Balance is key!
Taking ownership of your decisions and their consequences is essential. To create an environment within which people aren't afraid to take accountability for their actions, all other elements must come together, and communication must prevail over blame.
You can have all the ingredients ready, but it will take time for everything to come together. Not giving up and consistently ensuring all these elements are present in the day-to-day at the [Home] office will ensure Psychological safety. Soon enough, the positive impact will show.
So, the next time you find yourself planning the upcoming corporate retreat in nature, remember that beyond the main reason for the gathering (celebrating a millstone, launching a new product, etc.), this offsite will also work in the background to add mortar to what makes your team thrive: psychological safety.
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