Cultivator Profile: Empowering Quiet Cultivators
“Being a leader is a learning experience.”
I’ve been thinking about this sentence nonstop since interviewing Janine Lee, Global Learning and Development (L&D) Leader at Google, back in early May. And as an expert on both leadership and learning, she would certainly know!
Meet Janine
Janine is not only an L&D Leader at Google, but an Adjunct Professor at UC Berkeley’s Haas MBA program, an executive coach, and a USC doctoral candidate finishing up her Doctorate in Education (Ed.D.) with an emphasis in Organizational Change and Leadership. In her doctoral program, she is focusing her dissertation research on the Sense of Belonging for Women of Color in the technology industry. She’s also a member of our Cultivators Community.
Janine does a lot, and she does it with intention. All of her roles play a part in Janine’s life mission, to “inspire others to reach their full potential personally and professionally” and her vision of “creating a world where everyone feels that they belong”. By combining her day job, her work with individuals as a coach and professor, her passion and leadership for DEIB work, and her research that combats systemic inequities, Janine has a plan to make a big impact. She says, “I am wearing multiple hats and I do have multiple jobs but it doesn’t feel like work because it’s all things I am super passionate about.”
Recently, I sat down with Janine to discuss the responsibilities of leadership, the specific tactics leaders can use to create more psychological safety on their teams, and how Cultivators can empower themselves to speak up.
What keeps people from speaking up at work?
Janine advises: How much employees are willing to put themselves out there starts and ends with the psychological safety of their team. According to HBR, “Team psychological safety is a shared belief held by team members that it’s OK to take risks, to express their ideas and concerns, to speak up with questions, and to admit mistakes — all without fear of negative consequences.” And who is primarily responsible for instilling an environment of psychological safety? Managers.
Managers can either foster psychological safety or detract from it in team environments. When they are receptive to new ideas, and create space for all team members to be heard, they grow the psychological safety of their team. However, when they shoot down new ideas or team members feel that speaking up has negative consequences, psychological safety diminishes. Janine notes members of a team pay attention to how their peers are responded to, using this information to make educated decisions about whether or not it is worth it to speak up.
The goal of a manager or leader is to create an environment where everyone feels “safe” speaking up, and that their diverse perspectives and viewpoints are valued.
A lack of psychological safety: Why it matters and what to do about it
Many factors contribute to (or detract from) psychological safety and the likelihood that you will feel comfortable speaking up at work. Along with managerial behavior, factors as varied as the intersectional identities that you hold, your longevity in your role, your positional power, your communication style, and the way you process information can contribute to whether or not you feel comfortable speaking up about a challenge or sharing an idea.
We’ve all heard a million times that there is “No ‘I’ in ‘Team’.” but Janine reminds us that “A team is composed of multiple different individuals with unique perspectives who all have different strengths they can bring to the table. When you’re disregarding opinions in the team, you become weaker.” Making sure that everyone can come to the table and equitably share their ideas is the best way to leverage your team’s unique strengths. And while creating a psychologically safe team environment where members feel comfortable sharing their ideas can lead to more productivity and innovation, it’s also just the right thing to do as a person in a position of power.
Unsure of where your team falls in terms of psychological safety? Janine suggests you start by reflecting on the following questions as a leader: What culture do you want to build as a leader? What are our team norms? What are your team values? While this exercise is always helpful, she especially recommends it for first-time people managers or leaders who are stepping in to lead a new team. Reflecting on your core values and how you’d like to lead your team is an important first step before we move towards more tangible tactics to empower your quiet team members.
Take Action - Tactics for Leaders:
Building a psychologically safe team culture where everyone feels comfortable speaking up requires time, effort, and practice. If you need help getting started, here are Janine’s top tips and practices for meetings:
Implement the Pause: Using moments of intentional silence in meetings gives team members who are quiet or need more processing time the space to interject without interrupting.
Call on people who haven’t had a chance to speak: If you notice that more talkative team members are filling the silences, it may be helpful to ask specific people to share their thoughts in a low-pressure way. Try something like “Joe, no pressure, but if there is anything you’d like to share, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this project.”
Host a roundtable meeting (or standing agenda item): Janine carves time to have standing roundtables with her team. These meetings are unique in that they intentionally hold space for every attendee to have a moment to speak.
Divide up the work: When a high-priority project comes to the team, Janine suggests dividing up the work when possible so that every team member has a clearly defined role, a chance to contribute and share credit for the work, rather than assigning it to one person. This also fosters teamwork and cross-collaboration.
Uplift ideas that get overlooked: If a team member shares a great idea that doesn’t get much attention or space, you can acknowledge their share and bring the conversation back with a simple script like “Let’s pause. What Dani just shared was interesting, before we move on let’s take some time to discuss what they said. Dani, would you like to share more?”
Of course, team dynamics are created beyond meetings, whether virtual or in person, so it’s important to strengthen your connections with your direct reports beyond the team chats. Here are some ways you can do that:
Use all the tools at your disposal: Janine suggests using features like chat, Miro boards, or starting a document where the team can collaborate asynchronously to allow quiet team members a chance to share and contribute in ways that don’t rely on speaking up on the spot.
Have 1:1 conversations with your direct reports: Relationships take time, and you can’t expect a strong team atmosphere without intentional individual relationships. Janine suggests using 1:1s to get an idea of who your direct reports are as whole humans, what their goals are, and how you can support them in reaching those goals.
Remove obstacles and invest in their success: Of course, 1:1s go a long way, but so does taking action after those chats. Try to uncover what each person needs to thrive within the organization. For example, Janine has run “dress rehearsals” with team members who are gearing up for an important presentation. Not only does she provide feedback and encouragement, but she also helps them prepare for situations that may not be ideal. Asking questions like “If the exec you’re presenting to has 2 minutes instead of 10, what are the important takeaways you want them to know?” and “Imagine someone just interrupted you, what are some things you might say to get the conversation back on track?” By helping her team prepare for anything, she is ensuring they feel as confident as possible when it comes time to speak up.
Throughout her career thus far, Janine has managed over 100 people and acknowledges that success looks different for each person. Still, she said that as a result of practices like these, she has witnessed quiet team members gain confidence, take more initiative, and build stronger relationships.
Take Action - Tactics for Cultivators Who Are Learning To Speak Up:
Not everyone reading this will be a manager, and sometimes a Cultivator has to empower themself in a less than ideal situation, possibly without supportive leadership. If this is you, don’t worry! Janine had advice for you too:
Seek support: Find an ally who will amplify your voice. This might be your manager, but can also be a peer or someone highly respected within the department or company. This person can help to draw attention to your idea or create an opening where you can share what you need to.
Share creatively: If speaking up in a meeting feels impossible, try sending an email, project status update, or preparing a presentation to share in Slack about a project you’re working on or an idea you have. Janine used this tactic herself early in her career when she noticed she wasn’t always receiving credit for her work. This humble first step lets your team know what you’re working on and allows you to assert yourself in a more comfortable (but still professional!) way.
Seek resources: Hopefully, your manager is an advocate for your growth and development, but it’s important to always be your own biggest advocate! Look for employee resource groups, external organizations, mentors, sponsors, training, webinars, and opportunities to learn and practice public speaking and other areas where you want to grow.
Shape team process: If you feel that your team environment doesn’t allow for you or your peers to be heard, try suggesting a process change. This could look like co-creating new values, meeting norms or practices, or creating a new agenda or format for your team meetings. This allows you to point out a flaw in a process, rather than a person and may feel more empowering and accessible to you.
Putting her own advice to slow down into practice, Janine closed our conversation by saying, “Finding your voice, learning how to be an effective leader, and learning how to promote psychological safety all take time to develop. Give yourself permission and self-love and know that you may not have the answers right away. You must be open to learning, experimenting, sometimes failing, making mistakes, and being willing to own up and apologize. Everyone is learning. Give yourself the space to grow.” She also acknowledged that although she is seen as an expert in this space, she is still on her own journey to continue growing as a leader. The learning never stops!
Connection and peer support are hallmarks of our Cultivators Community, and there’s a spot waiting for you.