Susan Hunt Stevens: The ROI of Psychological Safety

The ability for you to be you at work and feel like that is respected, valued, and appreciated. That is psychological safety. While not always talked about or viewed as important, psychological safety is one of the key factors in building a high-performance team and company. More importantly, it is the key to activate your employees to align and buy into your company’s purpose and mission.  In this episode, Maria and Susan discuss these and other crucial factors encompassed in the intersection of empathy and psychological safety.  Key Takeaways:An organization truly comes alive when you can articulate how your existence makes the world a better place - that is your purpose. Psychological safety is key to drive success in high performing teams. Employees who feel psychologically safe are more likely to stay loyal, innovate, perform, and move up. Many companies have realized how much communication, connection, and community their organizations need to have because of the global COVID-19 crisis. "Is your culture psychologically safe? If you don’t know the answer, find out quickly. Understand what affects policies, practices, and behaviors then set the cultural and behavioral norms to better engage your employees." —  Susan Hunt Stevens About Susan Hunt Stevens: Susan Hunt Stevens is the Founder & CEO of WeSpire, an award-winning employee experience technology platform focused on engaging people in purpose-driven initiatives, ranging from sustainability to social impact, holistic wellbeing, and inclusive cultures. She founded WeSpire to use her digital behavior change expertise to help people embrace healthier and more sustainable lifestyles after her son was diagnosed with serious food allergies. She was named an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for New England, a Boston Business Journal Woman of Influence, and to the Environmental Leader 100 list. Prior to WeSpire, she spent 9 years at The New York Times Company, most recently as SVP/General Manager for Boston.com, a $60M digital media division. Connect with WeSpire and Susan:Facebook: facebook.com/WeSpire/LinkedIn: linkedin.com/company/wespireSusan Hunt Stevens’ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/huntstevens/Twitter: twitter.com/gowespire Check out the State of Employee Engagement Survey: WeSpire's 7th Annual research report on how organizations engage employees, examining how companies are driving and promoting positive impact initiatives like sustainability, wellbeing, and inclusive workplace culture. Download the 2019 report here, and take some time to contribute to their 2020 research: https://www.wespire.com/resource/state-of-employee-engagement-2019/ Don’t forget to download you free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy Connect with Maria: Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.comLearn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.comHire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-RossLinkedIn: Maria RossInstagram: @redslicemariaTwitter: @redsliceFacebook: Red Slice

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Failed product launches. Furious customers. Dysfunctional teams. Many of the problems we face in the business world (and frankly, society) stem from the same root cause: Lack of empathy. Speaker, author, strategist, and empathy advocate Maria Ross shares keen insights and inspiring interviews that prove empathy and compassion are the new paths to market-winning performance. Leveraging both inspiring stories and hard data, Ross connects empathetic leadership, cultures and brands to innovation, engagement, and bottom-line results. You’ll walk away with actionable strategies to amplify your impact, and learn how compassionate business tactics can transform your organization from the inside out. The Empathy Edge podcast provides a quick dose of motivation, wisdom, and practical actions that executive leaders, entrepreneurs and changemakers can use right now. Ready to infuse YOUR organization with more empathy? Tune in to learn why cash flow, creativity, and compassion are not mutually exclusive.