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Welcome to Indie Author Chat, the podcast designed to help you explore the ideas and insights behind today’s most thoughtful nonfiction books. Join host Laura Finch for engaging conversations with independent authors as they share the wisdom and inspiration behind their books—each title carefully curated by Weaving Influence Press.
In this episode, Laura talks with Dr. Karolin Helbig and Minette Norman about the concepts behind their new book, The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers. Together, Karolin and Minette discuss the surprising story behind their collaboration, which began with a “crazy idea,” what psychological safety really looks like in practice, and how their playbooks help cultivate workplace environments where people are inspired to do their best, most creative work.
Key Points From This Episode:
[02:18] Minette begins by sharing how she and Karolin met and what sparked their collaboration as coauthors.
[04:04] Karolin expands on that story by reflecting on how they wrote their first book without ever meeting face-to-face.
[05:52] Karolin talks about who both playbooks are for and how The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers builds on the first one.
[09:20] Minette tells the story of a time she knew her workplace was not a space that promoted psychological safety.
[12:17] Karolin explains where readers should begin with both psychological safety playbooks and whether they should be read in a certain order.
[14:21] Minette shares some tips to help with everyday behavior in the workplace and increase psychological safety.
[17:46] Karolin reflects on why managing our reactions is one of the most powerful and most difficult disciplines of leadership.
[20:13] Minette explains what it takes to deliberately restore psychological safety after it has been damaged.
[23:06] Minette builds on her previous answer by revealing why apologizing in the workplace can actually strengthen a leader’s credibility and influence.
[26:15] Karolin shares an example of a team that has been particularly skilled at developing psychological safety and the impact it created.
[29:42] Karolin discusses the process of creating the artwork for the playbooks.
Who These Playbooks Are For:
- Whether or not you’re even familiar with the term “psychological safety,” both of Karolin and Minette’s playbooks are for you. Every single one of us—whether in our personal lives or our professional lives—works in groups. We all interact with others, and we all want those group interactions to be more enjoyable, more productive, and more creative. You have the opportunity to start a positive, contagious ripple effect.
- If you care about psychological safety but feel like you have too much on your plate to focus on it, these playbooks are for you. The Psychological Safety Playbook for Changemakers won’t cost you any time—you can flip it open and immediately put it into practice. Even with an overwhelming schedule, you can pick up Karolin and Minette’s books and find something practical immediately.
Resources:
- Explore The Psychological Safety Playbook website, as well as Karolin and Minette’s individual websites.
- Sign up for The Psychological Safety Playbook newsletter, learn about the certification program for facilitators, and download the free resources.
- Follow Karolin and Minette on LinkedIn.
Key Quotes:
What came out of our “crazy idea” is two books, a program for facilitators, workshops, and keynotes. —Dr. Karolin Helbig
We wrote our first book without ever having met, without even sharing the continent or an office. —Dr. Karolin Helbig
The first book lays the foundation of psychological safety. The second book builds on that same structure and looks deeper into the real work of establishing psychological safety as a culture in real life. —Dr. Karolin Helbig
This kind of stuff happens all the time, where someone says something, they get interrupted, they get eye-rolled, they get ignored, they get a big sigh—and all of those things let us know that it is not a safe work environment. —Minette Norman
Both books are standalone books, so you can start anywhere. —Dr. Karolin Helbig
People want their leaders, their changemakers, and anyone they work with to be a human being, just as we all are. They do not expect absolute perfection. In fact, I think people are suspicious of seemingly perfect people who never make mistakes. —Minette Norman
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