You see, if the conditions are wrong, we are forced to expend our own time and energy to protect ourselves from each other, and that inherently weakens the organization. When we feel safe inside the organization, we will naturally combine our talents and our strengths and work tirelessly to face the dangers outside and seize the opportunities.

Sinek talks about creating a “circle of safety”. And within that circle of safety are the things that we can control. While we tend to think of leaders at the top of an organization, he points out that they are at all levels. Leaders are the people who “look after the people on their left and on their right”.

After hearing Sinek’s discussion on the environment that a good leader creates, has made me think through the way I manage, and hopefully lead, my team. In what areas do I exert authority? In what areas do I show leadership? How can I improve?

One of the things I take great pride in as a manager is growing my team. Fortunately, I work with junior staff who sees their current role as an entry point to their future career. I have a blast talking to them about their career aspirations and search for opportunities where they can build up their skills in a way that would translate to their future path. I help them seek out opportunities where they can share their knowledge with an audience outside of our team.

Sinek says that leaders look after people on their left and right, these would be the people outside of direct reports, these would be the people with who I’m on a team or work alongside day to day. How can I be a leader to them? And what can I do in my role as facilitator to create an environment of safety?

Yesterday I led a brainstorm with a small group of people who represented different areas across our organization. Initially, the meeting was to be a one-time event, but with all of the areas of need that we uncovered, we realized that there is a lot of work to be done and that coming together more frequently could have benefits that cross the organization. As a facilitator and leader, I can send each person a note thanking them for attending and contributing x idea, ask if any additional thoughts came to mind and if they’d like to spend more time on a future topic at the next meeting.

This would make people feel recognized for their ideas and contributions, provide a platform where people can continue to contribute to the conversation and help form an agenda for the next meeting. Additionally, it would begin to create a safe environment where people feel listened to and heard.