S06 | E06 Removing Psychological Aggression from the Workplace with Dave Sewell

We talk about psychological safety a lot, but what does it even mean? That was the question Dave Sewell asked himself as he struggled in his former consulting gig. He watched teams leave toxic environments and it triggered something in him. Psychological aggression, the opposite of feeling safe at work, was running rampant among his clients. So he made a change.

Before he truly defined psychological safety, he wrote the book on it.

This week on the podcast, Dave and I talk about the science behind psychological aggression and why even subtle behaviors and responses can create an environment that doesn’t feel safe. And he shares how to flip that narrative by recognizing the inherent good in others.

This all starts at the leadership level, where leaders recognize the power of their own body language so they can take more ownership of their team behavior and performance.

It’s such an interesting conversation with real-world examples of what happens when we set out to work with humans, not grizzly bears!

About Dave Sewell:

Coming from a family of alcoholism and violence and being subjected in his early career to shame and ridicule, Dave has been fascinated why some leaders rule with the stick whilst other don’t and why do companies have both types of leaders within their organisation at the same time?

His research around high performing teams, in particular what causes dysfunctional teams, bullying and office politics is at the leading edge of our understanding. Dave demonstrates how to overcome these by embracing psychological safety, something that should be at the core of all leadership training.

When he’s not talking about leadership and helping teams, Dave spends his free time with his family; his wife Kirsty and his two sons Lachlan and Jamie.  His other interests are meditating and energetic healing, hiking, mountain biking and Xbox gaming. Connect with Dave on LinkedIn and follow him on Facebook.

Mentioned in this Episode of Mental Health for Leaders:

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• Safe Leadership: Beating Stress to Drive Performance by Dave Sewell
• The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth by Amy Edmonson
• The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni