What is a safe work environment? If we’re talking about a construction site or a manufacturing plant, the response may be more obvious. But what about those working in an office setting where there are no obvious dangers or hazards?

I’ve conducted hundreds of interviews and each time I ask the candidate, ‘what work environment are you looking for? What culture would be the most ideal?’ The feedback I get almost every time is, “a collaborative team, a safe space where I can approach my manager and ask questions.” Each time I hear “a safe space,” my mind grows curious of what this candidate has experienced. What are they running from? What are these candidates really looking for when they say they’re looking for a safe space to work?

When you look up the definition of safe, you get this in return:

“protected from or not exposed to danger or risk”

Reading this definition, what do team members need protection from? Who do they need protection from? When would they feel they could be exposed to danger or to risk?

While I ask for examples during the interview, the candidates want to remain as professional as possible, meaning: they don’t want to throw anyone under the bus or talk negatively about their current employer or leader, which I can understand. So, I began to research - so you don’t have to, and because I was curious and I need to understand what candidates were experiencing. I want to read between the lines. Safe space had to be a code for something more, without being unprofessional or negative during the interview process.

I am not a naïve leader. I know there are toxic behaviors in the workplace that should not be tolerated, yet they are. I know there are managers/leaders out there who are, quite frankly, mean people and should not be leading a team. Coming back to my comment above around those working in an office setting, when someone says they’re looking for a safe space and they follow that comment with a collaborative team and a manager they can come speak to, there has to be more to the safe space meaning than the obvious.

And no, this blog is not sponsored, I’m sharing what I’ve learnt from my reading to give you more insights into leadership.

In my spare time, I read a lot about leadership. Not only about what it is, but about the people you lead. In the book ‘Leaders Eat Last’ by Simon Sinek he dedicates a couple chapters of his book to explaining the ‘Circle of Safety,’ which has been eye opening read.

In ‘Leaders Eat Last’ by Simon Sinek, he quotes:

“The responsibility of a leader is to provide cover from above.”

This quote is a lot to unpack but as you read his book, you come to understand the meaning behind the ‘Circle of Safety’. To paraphrase, when we were just nomads and sedentary homo sapiens, we lived amongst a community of no more than 150 people. Why? Because you could develop close relationships and build trust with 150 people without feeling overwhelmed. Within these groups, there were leaders guiding the tribe. But being the leader wasn’t because your resume was packed filled with accolades and reasons as to why you should be the leader. It was because you’ve proven time and time again through action, that you could lead.

How?

Through Sacrifice.

Leaders during this time put their neck on the line for their community, for their tribe. These leaders would sacrifice something of great importance to them, for the sake of the tribe. They put the tribe first and before themselves. They could be risking their life, they could be sacrifice their time, or it could be as simple as letting your tribe eat first, and you eating last. Knowing the leaders of these tribes had this mentality, their community entrusted them with their lives. But in return, the tribe would fully support their leader in the decisions they made, as they knew the leader had their best interest at heart.

The trust the tribe had amongst each other, created a ‘Circle of Safety.’ Everyone would take care of one another. Where one person was failing, the tribe would collectively provide support .

Where it started to feel unsafe, is when the leaders would make promises, and in turn became selfish by putting themselves first; they would reap all of the benefits for themselves, while the tribe suffered. Meaning, the leaders push hard on their tribe to get the job done, when it comes time for recognition, reward, or praise, the leader doesn’t deliver and claims all for themselves. Trust is lost at this point. And when trust is lost, the tribe no longer feels that ‘Circle of Safety.’ The tribe is less inclined to support the leader, and they rebel.

We see that in leadership today. Some leaders/managers are not honest or transparent with their teams. Others lead their teams to believe one thing, but their actions say otherwise. As the leader of your team, sharing your vision with your team is one element of leadership. Putting the team before yourself is what leadership is all about. Your role as the leader is to take care of the people, and that will require sacrifice. The team will make sacrifices everyday, work late, hard projects, do tasks they don’t enjoy, but when they feel their leader cares about them, and will join them, support them, and help them, it creates a bond amongst the team. It creates a level of trust and a ‘Circle of Safety.’

This is what our team members are looking for when they say they’re looking for a safe space. They’re referring to their circle of colleagues around them; that includes their leader. Their work tribe is important to them. They want to feel a sense of belonging and that their opinions matter, but that their leader will do the right thing, on behalf of the whole team. And when their leader proves they will do the right thing, they themselves will continue to work hard and perform well because collectively as a community we are all working towards a common goal - survival.

The survival instinct has unfortunately never left us. It’s been there from the beginning of human kind.

Even though survival may look different today, and we are no longer trying to outrun lions and cheetahs (in most parts of the world), we are still trying to survive. Working means receiving a paycheck, that paycheck helps us provide shelter and food for our families. Whether we accept it or not, our work tribe is part of our life. The work tribe is important to our team members. Work spills into our households because it’s what contributes to us having a household.

Next time a candidate mentions they’re looking for a safe space to work, they’re really asking: do you have my back? Can I trust you to do what’s right, even when it get’s tough?

THE MANAGER TOOLKIT