You may think that the primary interest of an elite squadron of military pilots performing daring, close-formation aerial displays would be the physical safety of its team members - and of course you would be right.
But in order to achieve such consistently elite performance, the RAF’s Red Arrows also depend on a powerful culture of psychological safety. In essence, no one should be afraid to speak their mind or raise their concerns, because their lives depend on getting on it right, and the more voices that are heard, the more likely they are to do so.
In the below Workplace Evolution Podcast, in association with Management Today, former Red Arrows team leader Justin Hughes talks to business psychologist Michael Costello about how to create the psychological safety that underpins high-performance teams.
He also addresses the role of managing mavericks, explains how to do a world-class project debrief and takes aim at Simon Sinek’s idea of ‘starting with why’.
About the Workplace Evolution Podcast, in association with Management Today:
Business psychologist Michael Costello meets top business people and workplace experts to address common leadership, management and workplace challenges. This year Management Today will be sharing interviews with guests including Sahar Hashemi (founder of Coffee Republic on start-up cultures), Simon Woodroffe (founder of Yo!Sushi on creativity and innovation) and Formula 1's David Coulthard (on resilience).
Image credit: David Rogers/Getty Images
Artwork: Workplace Evolution