Jade Garratt

@jadegarratt.bsky.social

Director of Education at PsychSafety.com Education lover, leader and researcher. SFHEA. Happiest when outside and/or writing She/ her https://medicalaidforpalestinians.enthuse.com/pf/jade-garratt

“It’s not perfect – but at least it starts a conversation.” I used to buy that. But I’m disillusioned by how often it justifies tools we know are flawed (MBTI and dead-end engagement surveys, I’m looking at you). What if, instead of bending around bad tools, we asked better questions?

Psychological safety sounds great until… – People tell you what they really think – They have better ideas than you – Problems come to light – You realise your workplace wasn’t as inclusive as you thought Worth it? Absolutely. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you. 😏 #psychologicalsafety

I appreciate UK schools, FE colleges and universities are on Easter break currently, but if you have supervisory or pastoral responsibility for Trans, non-binary or other LGBQ+ students and are concerned about their welfare after today's ruling, a brief check-in message may be reassuring for them.

The pre-holiday inbox panic is real. Somehow I still believe I can reply to everything, tie up every loose end, and reach the mythical inbox zero before a long weekend. Reminder to self (and anyone else who needs to hear this today): Rest doesn’t have to wait for your emails to be sorted 😅

What if psychological safety starts when things get uncomfortable? Often the real learning begins when we hear something we’d rather not. As Lars Axelsson said: “A problem that stays with whoever discovers it, is a problem that remains unknown.” How can we stay curious, even when it’s hard?

The “I’m ok, you’re ok” model reminds us that, even in disagreement, we can stay grounded in respect. Too often, when challenged, we: ⬇️ Push the other person down(“They’re wrong”), or ⬇️ Push ourselves down (“I’ve messed up”). Neither helps. "I'm ok, you're ok," can keep us steady in discomfort.

An "I'm ok, you're ok" quadrant, where only the square representing the health I',m ok, you're ok state is green. The rest are red.

"There’s a risk with organisations that we trim them so much to the bone, making them so ruthlessly efficient and lean, and so highly tuned to our current economic and consumer state that we’re vulnerable to a catastrophic failure that we simply didn’t see coming." psychsafety.com/efficiency-v...

Efficiency versus Resilience

Efficiency vs Resilience By Tom Geraghty Standardisation is often used as a way to increase organisational efficiency and scalability. Through reducing variation, we can standardise our tools, trainin...

psychsafety.com

"No one thinks they’re a micromanager." @jadegarratt.bsky.social's piece this week highlights why micromanagement damages trust and psychological safety, stifles innovation, and creates anxiety, ultimately limiting what teams can achieve. Read the full article here: psychsafety.com/micromanagem...

Micromanagement

Psychological Safety and Micromanagement By Jade Garratt Those who have followed our work at Psych Safety for a while will know that we believe exploring not just what to do – the behaviours and pract...

psychsafety.com

Having a bit of chill time this week - I want some good non-fiction (I’ve already got a ton of fiction lined up!) to read on my kindle that’s inspiring, not “should have been an article but they stretched it to a book”. Suggestions please? 🙏🏼 📚