"Feeling Safe To Speak Up Doesn't Equate With Feeling Heard"

I was sitting in the bedroom of my in-law's house, with my laptop propped up on a pile of books, trying to not have Amy Edmondson 🇺🇦, and the others notice that I was actually in a bedroom.

Turns out Amy Edmondson was in her kitchen.
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Who knows where the other participants were, or if they were as awkwardly perched as I was.

Where we were didn't matter, so much as HOW we were.

We had gathered on this Friday, to round out our 2-month reading of The Fearless Organization with a Q&A with Amy Edmondson, who had graciously given her time to us.

How were we? CURIOUS

We talked about many things like:
>> How threat sensitivity varies across people
>> The importance of focusing on our zone of control and influence, and NOT our zone of interest
>> Sharing your experience of people/situations from a place of curiosity, rather than judgment
>> Why it's okay to focus on just your small teams, even if the greater organization isn't psychologically safe
>> Moving from ME to WE, and NOW to THEN
>> And so much more...

The big kicker for me was this idea that speaking up doesn't mean being heard.

Even if we give people the space to have a voice, are we listening? Are we talking their voice into account?

Are we allowing their voice to change our way of thinking, behaving, or working?

Or are we "fake listening" as one member referred to it?

Earlier this week, our 8th Leader Learner episode dropped, where Vincent Musolino and I talked about Amy's book, and the importance of honoring people's voices.

To me this means not just allowing them to speak, but actually listening, and honoring what they have to say.

Have you ever spoken up, but didn't feel heard? 

Originally posted on Linkedin

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