Episode 429: Exploring Psychological Safety at work and beyond

25 Mar 2025 · 33 min
33:29

In this Winey Palooza podcast episode, host Rebecca Greene interviews Dr. Amber Tishner, an organizational psychologist, psychological‑safety expert, and author of Behind Frenemy Lines. The conversation begins with Dr. Tishner’s path into organizational psychology and her certification with the Academy of Brain‑Based Leadership. She explains the brain‑based Psychological Safety Assessment, its five core dimensions, and how it reveals individual preferences such as autonomy versus micromanagement. The dialogue then moves to identifying the absence of psychological safety – fear, inability to be vulnerable, reduced participation, and higher sick‑days – and how leaders can cultivate safety through transparent, two‑way communication, continuous feedback loops, and acting on survey results. A major focus is female rivalry: its intangible, passive‑aggressive nature, how it often surfaces behind closed doors, and why it is hard to address directly. Dr. Tishner offers concrete tactics for those experiencing rivalry – meticulous documentation, trusting one’s gut, confronting the behavior one‑on‑one, involving HR or a neutral third‑party, and avoiding recordings that may breach policy. She also discusses how men can be allies by recognizing the behavior, providing bystander training, and enforcing a zero‑tolerance policy. The conversation shifts to the benefits of psychological safety – higher trust, teamwork akin to close friendships, increased productivity, lower turnover, and greater employee engagement. Dr. Tishner shares practices for building emotional resilience, such as daily mindset resets, journaling, meditation, and the “practice the pause” before responding to stressful communications. Finally, she reflects on the origins of her book, which grew from a PhD dissertation on female rivalry observed during COVID, and outlines three take‑aways for listeners: (1) rivalry isn’t the victim’s fault, (2) you are not alone, and (3) seek supportive networks. The episode ends with practical encouragement for listeners to apply these insights in their workplaces and personal lives.

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