Call A Time Out
“Wait a minute. WAIT. Time out.”
The interruption startled me. I was just about to make a personal disclosure I to a new colleague. I had said, “I’ll say this privately: …” when the, “Wait a minute. WAIT. Time out.” interruption came.
Ise Lyfe — not only as the Founder and CEO of Lyfe Productives, but also as a community organizer, justice advocate, and educator — has clearly learned how to establish psychological safety.
“I’m safe. Whatever you’re about to say, you have to know: I’m never repeating it. Not later today, not in ten years. Never…”
An unexpected relief washed over me.
“Oh, and thank you for your trust in me. Now go ahead, what were you saying?”
There’s so much to unpack there, but I’m just going to let it sit.
Worth reading it again and not just memorizing the script, but asking yourself: is it true?
Related: Create Psychological Safety
Related: Court Approachability
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One of the defining contributions the d.school is helping teams ask themselves, “What kind of thinking is appropriate, when?” We call such clarity being “Mindful of Process.” And it can seem like semantics until you realize we need to show up in different ways.