Lesson 8: Share Your Flaws to Spike Psychological Safety | Adam Grant

Convince others your request for candid feedback is sincere. Model vulnerability.

Would you rather spend the night in a haunted house or tell your boss what their weaknesses are? Both are terrifying options for many — especially if their workplace lacks psychological safety.

Organizational psychologist Adam Grant argues candor is critical within an organization if the goal is for people to reach their full potential. Yet people will run away in fear if they don’t trust a leader’s request for constructive criticism.

In this video lesson, he tackles the difficulty leaders face in establishing psychological safety and suggests they begin by openly criticizing themselves.

Amy Edmondson’s research shows that people struggle to reach their potential when they’re afraid to speak candidly. For example, when hospitals lack psychological safety, people tend to hide their mistakes and others are more likely to repeat them. But when they have it, people are more likely to admit their errors, study the causes, and find ways to prevent them.

Most leaders try to create psychological safety by asking for constructive criticism. The problem is that people may doubt whether they really mean it.

To be more effective, take the extra step of criticizing yourself out loud. Try sharing your 360 review so people can see what you’re working on. Or call a meeting and say: This is what I’m trying to work on. I value your thoughts. The idea is to prove that you’re open to feedback and can handle the truth.

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About Adam Grant:

Adam Grant has been Wharton’s top-rated professor for seven straight years. As an organizational psychologist, he is a leading expert on how we can find motivation and meaning, rethink assumptions, and live more generous and creative lives. He has been recognized as one of the world’s 10 most influential management thinkers and Fortune’s 40 under 40.

Grant is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of five books that have sold millions of copies and been translated into 45 languages: Think Again, Give and Take, Originals, Option B, and Power Moves. His books have been named among the year’s best by Amazon, Apple, the Financial Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His viral piece on languishing was the most-read New York Times article of 2021 and the most-saved article across all platforms.

Grant hosts WorkLife, a chart-topping TED original podcast. His speaking and consulting clients include Google, the NBA, Bridgewater, and the Gates Foundation. He writes on work and psychology for The New York Times, has served on the Defense Innovation Board at the Pentagon, has been honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and has appeared on Billions. He has more than 6 million followers on social media and features new insights in GRANTED, his free monthly newsletter.