Less ‘boardroom,’ more ‘open mic night.

As I prepare to facilitate an off-site this week, I’ve been reflecting on three memorable bits of advice I picked up in my early consulting career:

Be funny. Serve booze. Pretend you’re hosting a party and it’s your job to make sure everyone has a great time.

Dated as it sounds, the advice points to something timeless: the facilitator’s role is to create an environment where people want to engage.

This advice came well before the term psychological safety entered everyday business parlance. Harvard professor Amy Edmondson’s research in the late 1990s showed that teams who feel safe to take interpersonal risks like admitting mistakes, asking questions, or sharing bold ideas.  These teams are more creative, more innovative, and ultimately perform better. 

While I’m not known for my sense of humour (hence the advice), I will be focused on making the space a place where everyone feels free to contribute because safe spaces don’t just make people comfortable—they make teams courageous, creative, and capable of their very best work.