I’ll admit, I’ve never really been really good at one of the things I love most 🏒 : playing hockey. A little too slow, a little too weak, often too unsure of myself. Despite that, I’ve kept going, and believe it or not, I’m constantly evolving.

A few weeks ago, I was told – “It’s so great to see you develop, you probably never have played better than you do now.” 🏅

Think about it for a while. We’re talking about hockey, a game where you get to play in an oldboys league when you turn 35 and are at your best around 30. I’m turning 50 in a few weeks…

So, how come it say? How can I develop in an area where I really should be falling behind more and more?

It depends on safety and togetherness. Over the last few years (okay, decades) I’ve been playing in a team where lately we’ve been working the cohesion of the team. We show each other trust and are careful to get everyone to be part of the group. This creates the very safety that makes me dare to try something new and I dare to fail in order to learn.

Compare this to a group culture where you are unsure of your place in the group. If you’re unsure, you don’t know the consequences of failure and will stick to what you know. And then you can simply forget about the opportunity to develop or improve.

Creating a culture like this doesn’t happen by itself, we haven’t had it all the time in the team either. Often, it’s hard to know where to start.

Do you see that there is more potential in your team if you dare to try new things? Get started right away!

#psycologicalsafety #kudos #team