The start point is to define what safety is. That means free from harm, and that has to be our aim. In order to create an environment and culture in which people can be healthy, thrive and perform at their best effectiveness, it has to be free from harm, because you cannot thrive if you're in defence mode and protective mode.
What damages human relationships, for example, is a lack of trust. That is fundamental. If you don't get that going, and the very people who are assisting to help chart the course, as far as the boat is concerned, are often drilling holes in the side of the boat.... How can you perform if that's happening and it is not an honest and supportive relationship moving forward, when people inside the boat are having to bail water? How can you perform under those circumstances to the best of your ability?
You may be able to override it for the short term, but it comes at the cost of relationships, health and well-being. It doesn't just impact a person then and there. It impacts their careers, but it impacts their health and well-being for decades down the road.
Thank you.