The modern leader’s guide to Psychological Flexibility

You’ve probably heard plenty about psychological safety… creating the right conditions so people feel safe to speak up, challenge and contribute.

That’s about the environment.

Psychological flexibility shifts the focus to the individual.

It’s a person’s ability to notice what’s happening internally, such as stress, frustration, defensiveness or worry, and consciously choose how to respond, rather than reacting on autopilot.

It comes from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), developed by psychologist Steven Hayes.

I like to think of it as

• having the ability to remain present and purposeful.

• accepting difficult thoughts and emotions without them influencing negative actions
  

So, it’s about resilience, but not the old-school way of battling through situations. It’s through a conscious adjustment of your psychological state.

When you feel the tension in the meeting, and you get that urge to snap back or withdraw from a conversation, you take a pause, and choose a response aligned with who you want to be as a leader.

That’s the flexibility part.

Psychological safety says: I will create conditions where you can contribute.

Psychological flexibility says: I will manage my internal world so I can lead effectively, even when conditions aren’t perfect .

It would be lovely if both are true in your workplace – because change, disruption and unpredictable conditions will always be present. So both are certainly needed.

Modern leadership isn’t just about building safe systems. It’s about building leaders who can lead themselves, not just others. And viola – the that’s exactly the principle that Hack Yourself was born on. Check out the sessions we can run with your teams.