Galatians 2:20 “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.”
Last night I was on a YPO webinar with esteemed Wharton Professor, Adam Grant. He had a few lessons for us on leadership in crisis, and the first centered around psychological safety. “I was involved in some research at Google a few years back, and we found that the best teams weren’t the best because they had the best members. They were the best because their culture allowed for members to speak up with their views. They had safe environments.” Of course, if no consensus is formed, members must eventually disagree and commit to a plan of action, but the process of hashing out these ideas invariably leads to better outcomes. And how does one create an atmosphere of psychological safety? It starts from the top. “Yesterday I had a conversation with Melinda Gates about how they try to create this environment at the Gates Foundation. She mentioned that they keep a record of minor guffaws they committed, and distribute them within the organization. When people hear ‘I was with this head of state yesterday and I called him by the wrong name’ or some such fault, it makes us more approachable to our teams and forms psychological safety.” In meditating on God’s will for me regarding psychological safety, I felt led to Galatians 2:20 that states that I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The more I align myself with that reality, the more I find myself comfortable with sharing my own weaknesses and navigating through ups and downs. What do I have to prove, if it’s no longer my life? God thank you for your word. You are repeatedly revealing research to confirm the truth that you already demonstrated thousands of years ago. If Melinda Gates can drive transformation by showing her vulnerability through minor guffaws, how much more can you drive transformation through the vulnerability of Christ’s death on the cross? I declare it again today, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. I have nothing to prove, because you’ve proven it all. Please align me more deeply to this truth today. In your son’s name, Amen. * YPO usually restricts content but I have received permission to share lessons from this webinar. My quotes from Adam Grant are paraphrased.