Safe and Brave: The Ways of Working That Build High-Performing Teams

‍The Intersection of Safe and Brave

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There’s a tension in every great team—the place where safe and brave meet. Too much safety, and people hold back. Too much boldness, and trust frays. But right there, at the intersection of the two? That’s where the best work happens. And the way a team gets there? By setting clear, intentional ways of working.

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Not policies. Not corporate jargon. Just a simple, shared agreement: This is how we do things here.

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The Power of Ground Rules

Defining Ways of Working

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At Coachworks, we define ways of working as the agreements a team makes about how they will show up, how they will speak to each other, how they will handle challenges, and how they will move forward—together. These aren’t just rules. They are the scaffolding that holds up the real work. The work that requires both safety and courage. Vulnerability and strength.

A team without agreements is like a house without a foundation—eventually, things crack. And when things crack, teams don’t fail because of lack of talent or effort. They fail because people start holding back.

Why This Matters

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Psychological safety isn’t a buzzword. Amy Edmondson calls it the secret ingredient of high-performing teams. If people don’t feel safe to take risks, make mistakes, or speak up, creativity dies. Ideas don’t make it to the table. The team plays small.

And trust? Patrick Lencioni calls it the foundation of teamwork. Without trust, there’s no real debate, no accountability, no real results—just people going through the motions, protecting themselves instead of pushing each other to be better.

“The best teams don’t play it safe. They create the safety they need to be brave.”

Ground rules make explicit what so often goes unsaid. They answer the questions:

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• How do we show up for each other?
• How do we handle disagreement?
• How do we create a space where every voice matters?

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Because when a team defines these things together, they don’t just have rules—they have a culture.

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Building a Safe and Brave Space

So how do you craft ways of working that allow a team to operate at its best? Start here:

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1. Define What “Safe” and “Brave” Mean

Safety isn’t about comfort—it’s about trust. It means knowing you can speak up without fear of embarrassment or retaliation. Brave, on the other hand, is about stepping forward, being vulnerable, challenging assumptions, and leaning into the hard stuff.

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Ask:

• “What do we need in place to feel safe speaking our truth?”
• “What does being brave look like for us as a team?”

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2. Establish Shared Agreements

Ground rules don’t work if they’re dictated from above. They need to be co-created, shaped by the team for the team.

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Ask:

• “What behaviors help us do our best work?”
• “What gets in the way?”
• “What do we commit to as a team?”

3. Make Space for Candid Conversations

Real teams talk about the hard things. They say what needs to be said—clearly, respectfully, and with an intent to strengthen the team, not tear it down.

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Edmondson’s research shows that in psychologically safe teams, people are more likely to admit mistakes, ask for help, and challenge ideas constructively. Without this, teams risk falling into groupthink or avoiding difficult but necessary conversations.

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Ask:

• “How do we handle conflict in a way that makes us better?”
• “How do we ensure every voice is heard?”

4. Reinforce, Reflect, and Adjust

Ground rules aren’t one-and-done. They need to be revisited, refined, and woven into the team’s daily rhythm.

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Ask:

• “Are our agreements working for us?”
• “What do we need to tweak?”
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Great teams don’t just happen. They’re built—brick by brick, conversation by conversation, commitment by commitment. And the best ones? They live in that tension between safe and brave, pushing boundaries while holding each other up.

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Because at the end of the day, a team that trusts, challenges, and supports each other isn’t just effective—it’s unstoppable.

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