THE IMPORTANCE OF BRAVE SPACES IN THE WORKPLACE

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAFE SPACES AND BRAVE SPACES

Brave spaces are an evolution of a pretty well known idea. You have probably heard managers and leaders using the phrase ‘This is a safe space’. What that generally means is that individuals can feel protected and safe from harm and that what they say will be treated as confidential. This has been seen as an essential component of a workplace in order to discuss sensitive issues and grow together.

However, genuine safety is not conducive to growth. This is because the safest course of action in any environment is not to take a risk. Sharing difficult feedback, a controversial opinion or a new idea is a form of risk which can leave people feeling unsafe for fear of ridicule, criticism or job insecurity. Safety isn’t quite what workplaces need.

Recognising this led to a new terminology; Brave Spaces.

A brave space is a place where individuals are encouraged to share their opinions and experiences, even if they are challenging or uncomfortable. Brave spaces promote open dialogue, challenge assumptions and foster growth, making them a valuable asset in the workplace.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF BRAVE SPACES IN THE WORKPLACE?

There are a number of business and relational benefits to brave spaces in the workplace:

• Increased creativity and innovation – people are more willing to share ideas, think outside of the box and engage in creative problem solving.
• Improved communication – brave spaces encourage employees to express their thoughts and feelings in a productive way and other members learn to listen better.
• Greater empathy – increased open sharing allows group members to understand each other’s perspectives, experiences, concerns and hopes.
• More protection from corporate ‘failures’ – organisations where individuals feel afraid to speak up are the ones who are most likely to have errors and failings. When individuals can speak up it means they can raise issues about safety, gaps in strategy, challenges in the market and other issues that could lead to failures or errors. This gives the team time to mitigate those challenges before they lead to disaster.
• Improved wellbeing – when people feel they can be heard and understood without fear of judgement it is likely to reduce stress and anxiety as well as giving people a sense of belonging and confidence.

THE BRAVE SPACES POEM

If you want to get a real sense for what it means to work in a brave space, look no further than this poem by Micky ScottBey Jones

An Invitation to Brave Space

Together we will create brave space
Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”
We exist in the real world
We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.
In this space
We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,
We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,
We call each other to more truth and love
We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.
We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know,
We will not be perfect.
This space will not be perfect.
It will not always be what we wish it to be
But
It will be our brave space together,
and
We will work in it side by side….

Incidentally, sharing this poem with your team can be an excellent talking point for what a brave space looks like, is for and to get their opinions on how it feels.

WHAT DOES A BRAVE SPACE LOOK LIKE?

The key features of a brave space are:

• All participants are willing to engage in open and honest discussions, even if they are challenging or controversial.
• Participants feel comfortable (and may even be invited) to challenge each other’s perspectives and experiences in a constructive way in order to create shared understanding and growth.
• The whole group celebrates and embraces the diversity of its members backgrounds, experiences and perspectives in order to create a sense of belonging.
• All members have equal opportunity to participate and speak.
• There is a culture of no judgement, punishment or retaliation.

HOW CAN LEADERS FACILITATE BRAVE SPACES?

Leaders and managers play a crucial role in cultivating brave spaces in the workplace. Here are some steps they can take to create and maintain brave spaces:

Model the behaviour – Leaders and managers should demonstrate the behaviour they want to encourage. This may include active listening, respect for diverse opinions, taking turns speaking and being willing to challenge and be challenged. Leaders who do not model these behaviours themselves may undermine brave spaces as participants sense hypocrisy.

Establish clear guidelines – Brave spaces may seem quite a new concept for teams and so it is important to help the group create a shared understanding of what to expect and how to behave. Leaders can facilitate ‘ground rules’ discussions to help groups agree on processes which help the conversations remain productive and respectful. This may include deciding how to manage time, challenge appropriately and signal when someone wants to speak.

Encourage active listening – Encourage employees to actively listen to each other and respect each other’s experiences and perspectives. Ensure nothing else is vying for people’s attention, model active listening and perhaps even invest in active listening training for your team.

Cultivate a culture of trust – Being brave requires a certain amount of vulnerability and therefore trust in both the process and the leader. Leaders and managers should work to create a culture of trust across the workplace by being transparent, accountable, reliable, empathetic and showing integrity.

Promote belonging – Encourage employees to celebrate and embrace the diverse backgrounds, experiences and perspectives of all individuals in the group in order to help everyone feel like they belong.

Encourage constructive feedback – Invite people to give and receive feedback in a constructive and respectful manner. It may be helpful to model how to give feedback and refer back to any guidelines before giving feedback to help it be non-judgemental, purposeful, positively framed and constructive.

Provide training and resources – Offer training and resources to help employees understand the importance of brave spaces, how to participate effectively and how to facilitate the space so that group members can have more ownership of the spaces.

Brave spaces play an important role in promoting open dialogue, fostering inclusivity, and creating a more positive work environment. By encouraging employees to share their experiences and perspectives in a constructive way, brave spaces help break down barriers, promote growth and understanding, and create a more productive and innovative workplace.

If you want support in embedding brave spaces in your workplace then get in touch. The Self Leadership Initiative provides facilitation services, training and coaching to help leaders empower their teams.