Safe Enough to Soar: Accelerating Trust, Inclusion, and Collaboration in the Workplace

by Fred Miller, Judith Katz

When I don’t feel safe… …I know you are not getting the best out of me. …I walk on eggshells and I’m careful about what I say. …I fear being judged or made small. …It is harder to join, to trust, to accept different and new ideas or people. When interaction safety exists, I have the freedom to share my ideas. Doors to trust, collaboration, understanding, and inclusion are open. And we all can soar―reaching new levels of performance individually and collectively. “There is nothing more central to a high performing organization than trust in the workplace. Fred and Judith have given us a fantastic hands-on, practical process to move any organization, no matter where it sits, toward that goal. Bravo!”―JERRY GREENFIELD, cofounder of Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream

Audio CD

Published November 6, 2018

Reviews

[Marta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book creates an impression that political correctness is the only way to create a safe environment. I have a strong feeling that described models don't take into account that we are all human beings, with our own unique characteristics and specifications which often shows in our communication methods. It assumes that only one, specific way of communication is the correct one.

As a person who is not a big fan of censorship and being polite at all costs, I don't find this book valuable. I strongly believe that open, transparent communication and assuming good intentions instead of penalizing people for jokes or assuming that some joke will make someone uncomfortable and creating fake boundaries, instead of asking people to communicate directly when they feel offended, leads to a community that's afraid to speak up to avoid being punished for using not polite enough wording.

[Iris · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book because I've been on both sides of the story line. I also was a manger for eight years and I've encountered Leaders that have fallen as a Leader. I do think this book is good for new hires and to go over with your team. Especially if you are in a leader position.

[Julio Biason · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't get me wrong, I do understand where the book is aiming for -- giving people a voice, no matter what -- but I believe it aged badly, mostly due the way culture changed. Also, the analogies/anecdotes are a bit too far fetched, which actually hide the real purpose of "interaction safety".

So, what it is this about: This is, basically, "give everyone a voice, and let them exercise it". All good, I totally agree with this, and a good leadership should always worry about it.

But what isn't specified -- and what I meant by the way the culture change -- is that it misses the point that people will talk to each other more things that just work. How do you give a voice to someone that denies the holocaust? Should you give a chance to someone that keeps bringing "election fraud" in every possible instance? Those are part of a culture shift, in which we started to being more stuff into work. Sure, it makes totally sense to get new input on work subjects, but that would require a good culture inside the company to leave controversial statements outside work outside, and the book doesn't cover that (and I'm all in for controversial statements about work itself).

Also, it lacks some conflict resolution: What if I give a voice to someone, explain the problem with their idea, but they can't concede that it doesn't make sense? Would that person feel fine with it? How do you disarm the possible bomb when constant suggestions are dropped for one reason or the other?

The analogies are also a bad point of the book. Since the authors describe four levels of "interaction safety" in the book, they put a little story for the level. And, obviously, the first level is pretty bad, while the fourth one is all marvelous and people love their work for that. And it gets tiring very early seeing "interaction safety" instead of "conversations" or something like it.

Another problem: The lack of concrete points on how to act. Sure, there are lists like "A company in X level would have this" which you can infer some actions, but a list of "start writing X down", "when you realize comments that sound racist, call the person to explain why they shouldn't say it, instead of calling them out in public" -- which is a real thing people should do to provide safety to the group -- would be a lot more helpful than anything.

Again, I'm not against the aim of the book, I just dislike the way it is presented.

[Beth Filar Williams]

not worth rating. had to read for work. nothing knew really just a structure to help with a workplace trust. unless all your workplace reads it, its not worth it b/c ALL people need buying or this wont work

[Mallory · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing new or special, ended up skimming most of it.

[Valerie Oswald · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that focuses on interaction safety in the workplace. It is an interesting read and made me ponder which level is my current job at and what level were my previous jobs at.

[Una-Minh Kavanagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Felt very short. Good for thinking about as a manager but very low on content.