Safe to Great: The New Psychology of Leadership

Today's leaders must shift from playing it safe to playing for great by putting purpose before profit and the team before the individual. Skip Bowman's book "Safe to Great" proposes a leadership sea change that unlocks an organization's growth mindset through psychological safety. It offers principles to help leaders shape innovative workplaces that thrive on experimentation.

Format: Hardback
Length: 160 pages
Publication date: 09 November 2023
Publisher: Figure 1 Publishing

In today's rapidly changing and complex world, traditional leadership models that prioritize playing it safe and avoiding risks are no longer sufficient. To seize new opportunities and achieve sustainable growth, leaders must embrace a shift towards playing for great. This requires a departure from hyper-individualized leadership approaches that focus solely on the success of the leader and a recognition that the success of a team or organization depends on the collective intelligence, achievements, and growth of its members.

In his book "Safe to Great," Skip Bowman offers a transformative leadership framework that prioritizes purpose before profit and the team before the individual. He draws on the concept of psychological safety, which he believes is the key to unlocking an organization's growth mindset. Psychological safety refers to the sense of trust and respect that employees feel within a workplace, allowing them to take risks, innovate, and contribute their ideas without fear of judgment or retaliation.

Bowman argues that by creating a culture of psychological safety, leaders can unlock the full potential of their teams and organizations. He provides practical principles and strategies for leaders to shape innovative workplaces that thrive on experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement. These principles include fostering a sense of shared purpose, promoting diversity and inclusion, and creating a culture of continuous learning and development.

One of the key insights of "Safe to Great" is that the success of a leader is not determined solely by their individual skills or abilities but by their ability to create a culture that fosters collective intelligence and growth. Bowman emphasizes the importance of building a team that is diverse in terms of skills, perspectives, and backgrounds, as this can lead to greater creativity, innovation, and problem-solving. He also stresses the importance of providing employees with the resources and support they need to develop their skills and achieve their full potential.

In addition to shaping innovative workplaces, "Safe to Great" offers a compelling appeal for a new standard of leadership that moves people and organizations from a place of relative comfort and little risk to a space of daring curiosity, engagement, and collaboration. Bowman encourages leaders to embrace a mindset of continuous learning and experimentation, to be open to new ideas and perspectives, and to be willing to take risks in pursuit of their goals. He also emphasizes the importance of building strong relationships with employees, stakeholders, and the broader community, as this can create a sense of shared ownership and responsibility for the organization's success.

Overall, "Safe to Great" is a valuable resource for leaders who want to bring more hope and critical thinking to how they manage their teams and organizations. By prioritizing purpose before profit and the team before the individual, leaders can create a culture of psychological safety that unleashes the full potential of their teams and organizations. This shift towards playing for great requires a willingness to embrace change, a commitment to continuous learning and development, and a willingness to take risks in pursuit of sustainable growth and success.

Dimension: 215 x 139 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781773272306