A few months ago, I wrote my first article related to the topic I’m sharing with you today, entitled “Psychological Safety, from the Family to the Company.” This time, I’m revisiting the subject from a personal perspective and reflecting on the antithesis of this concept.

In this regard, I believe that psychological insecurity stems from a lack of self-awareness and how this impacts all areas of our lives, starting at home and continuing into the workplace, whether as a collaborator or a team leader.

I believe that for those of us who belong to Generation X, with parents who are from the so-called Baby Boomer generation and children from Generations Y or Z, it is an interesting challenge that we have to face in all areas of interaction.

In that sense, I believe that the gray hair and some wrinkles that we usually already have should give us the wisdom to truly know ourselves; otherwise, we will fall and make our loved ones (children and other family members) fall, as well as our teammates, into psychological insecurity.

Therefore, I’m going to share some behaviors that we’ve all probably had, starting with myself, and which I suggest we continue working on improving:

• Not showing our vulnerability, whether as a parent, spouse, owner, manager, leader, or collaborator in a company.
• Do not verbalize that we do not know all the answers to the questions or concerns that may arise in any area of ​​our lives.
• Not knowing how to manage our nonverbal language well can make other people around us feel uncomfortable or disregarded. Even a harsh look can be more damaging than a word.
• Unconsciously “labeling” others, depriving them of their ability to contribute to an issue or challenging the status quo, and worse, making them feel like they don’t contribute value and thus inducing silence.
• “Labeling” ourselves in front of others as closed-minded or even negative toward any idea or opinion contrary to our own.
• Don’t delegate tasks, whether at home or at work, with the fallacious argument that no one else will do them the way we do. That’s obvious: people are unique and unrepeatable in every sense of the word.
• Fear of losing prominence at work, and therefore not sharing information that will benefit the team as a whole.
• Not knowing how to listen and only hearing, believing that we are being attacked and judged, then interrupting and defending ourselves.

In this regard, I share with you some phrases that can help us reflect and face our fears:

• “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to continue that counts.” Winston Churchill – British politician, military officer, and statesman.
• “I fear no storm, for I am learning to sail my ship.” Louisa May Alcott – American writer, best-known work, Little Women.
• “Creativity requires courage.” Henri Matisse – French draftsman, printmaker, sculptor, and painter.

There’s no doubt about it, we’re all imperfect, yet we all have talents. For that reason, I invite you to begin working on self-knowledge, or if you’re already doing so, to continue to delve deeper into it and enjoy the process.

What do you say? Do you dare to swim against the current? And thus contribute to better families, businesses, organizations, and society as a whole.