Risk-Taking in Relationships and the Role of Psychological Safety
“As a kid, I was always scared of speaking up in class. My participation grades sometimes suffered at the hands of this anxiety; I remember getting a C on an English unit–which I had to scramble to recover from–because I didn’t speak often enough, my comments were brief (I wanted to be done talking as soon as I started) and I looked at the ceiling too much during one presentation. What was most frustrating to me was the assumption being made: because I was tentative about participating, I wasn’t trying hard enough.
This fear was amplified when I first got to college, because I constantly felt intimidated by the eloquence of my peers. My own comments, often hesitant and peppered with “likes” and “ums,” made me feel stupid, which in turn made me too nervous about embarrassing myself to raise my hand and speak up. In one of my freshman year classes, I found myself struggling to make at least one comment every day as the course was heavily discussion-based. Yet after one of our meetings, the professor said to me that he had really appreciated the things I had said that day–that they were very insightful. It was this small affirmation that I realized I had needed all along, because talking in class was something that, in my brain, felt like a risk. I needed someone to look at me and see someone who was trying, but needed more gentle encouragement to feel comfortable going out on a limb. By the end of the semester, I was one of the most prominent voices in the class.”
- Julia Horne, Connection Labs Intern
When we hear the word “risk,” the most dramatic forms typically come to mind: thrill-seeking behaviors like skydiving and bungee jumping, going out on a limb financially, taking a momentous step and not knowing exactly where your foot will land. We similarly associate the image of a “risk-taker” with adventurousness. The risk-taker we often envision is bold and spontaneous, while their opposite is prudent and shy. As a result, we are either viewed as risk-takers or we are not– with such categories resulting in a rigid understanding of risk that allows no room for agency, fluidity or growth. In reality, propensity to risk is far from a fixed personality trait.
Did you know?
Studies have shown that over the course of adulthood, the experience of major life events brings about personality changes which have the ability to alter one’s willingness to take risks. In fact, much of the research surrounding propensity to risk associates risk-inclination and risk-aversion with specific personality traits such as honesty, humility, extraversion, creativity and prudence. These attributes are not static; thus it stands to reason that if the innate characteristics that influence risk propensity are malleable, so is risk propensity itself.
Psychologist Geoff Trickey posits that one’s inclination or aversion to risk-taking results from a complex interplay of nature and nurture– one’s temperament intermingled with a slew of situational factors. His research identifies eight overarching “risk types” that people innately fall into, which he situates on a “continuous spectrum.” This notion of a spectrum opens the door to a more flexible view of inclination towards risk.
How do we practice an optimal amount of risk in our daily lives– unhindered by our own reservations, without falling victim to recklessness? The concept of psychological safety offers an answer. A “psychologically safe” environment is one in which all members of a group–no matter their “risk type”—feel comfortable taking risks so long as they do not pose harm to other group members. Everyone feels able to express themselves, to get creative and to ask for help when they need it, free of the fear of ridicule, judgment or rejection that might otherwise hold them back. These are the kinds of risks that allow for stronger teams and relationships, as well as a healthy workplace environment. A key component of fostering a psychologically safe environment is creating a culture of innovation–which can be done through the encouragement of sharing ideas and modeling positive risk-taking behavior ourselves.
Awareness, Context, Intention
Building Awareness: What is your relationship to risk? Do you see yourself in any of Geoff Trickey’s risk types?
Considering Context: Consider what kind of environment you need in order to take necessary risks, and what environment might be necessary for those around you who may be prone to different risk types. Do you find that, in certain situations, you feel more inclined to take chances?
Setting Intention: What steps can you take to help create an atmosphere–at work or at home–where you and your colleagues feel psychologically safe?
Tap into your strengths
Optimize your risk type and the risk types of others by using your strengths.
Use bravery to step out of your comfort zone
Use perspective to assess what risks are appropriate to take– ones which will not jeopardize the wellbeing of others or the efficiency of your team.
Use fairness to appreciate the risk types of others and to cultivate an atmosphere in which colleagues feel psychologically safe.
Use curiosity to explore your own relationship to risk
