Creating Safe Spaces in the Workplace: Key Takeaways from Our Oct. 24th Discussion

Summary respectfully submitted by Kitty Wooley, Keesha Gill, and Whitney Meyerhoeffer

In today’s evolving workplace, cultivating a safe environment for open, honest communication is essential for organizational success. Recently, the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators hosted a Drinks and Conversations discussion on “Creating Organizational Safe Spaces.” To prioritize trust and camaraderie of these specific events we did not record it, however, here are some of the key insights and strategies shared.

Understanding Different Perspectives on Safety

One major takeaway was the idea that safety in the workplace isn’t universal. What feels safe to leaders may not feel safe to employees at other levels. Leaders must recognize that their position may afford them a sense of security not shared by everyone in the organization. Being mindful of these differences is the first step in fostering an inclusive environment where all voices are valued.

Beyond the Meeting Room

Organizational safety extends beyond what happens in formal meetings. Employees notice how leaders interact with them in all contexts, and these day-to-day interactions set the tone for trust. Actions outside the meeting room are just as important as the discussions within it; they reveal whether leaders truly value openness and mutual respect.

Leveraging Third-Party Feedback Channels

The group discussed the value of third-party facilitators in collecting employee feedback. A neutral party can often build more trust and foster greater honesty, as employees may feel more comfortable sharing their experiences and concerns. Many organizations, such as the U.S. Department of State and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), offer anonymous reporting systems to encourage openness while protecting individual identities. This approach can help leaders receive honest feedback without employees fearing potential repercussions.

The Importance of Acting on Feedback

Feedback is only as effective as the response it generates. When employees see that their input leads to tangible action, it strengthens trust and demonstrates that their voices are valued. Leaders should be careful not to react defensively or dismiss feedback; this can discourage future input and create an unsafe environment.

Recognizing the Cost of Silence

Failing to foster open communication can have a financial impact. When employees do not feel safe speaking up, issues can remain unresolved, leading to inefficiencies and budget implications and high turnover rates. Professional skepticism—encouraging employees to question processes and suggest improvements—was highlighted as a key element in creating an innovative, responsive organization.

Taking Action Before Issues Escalate

By the time a workplace’s issues are visible from the outside, it’s often too late to easily remedy them. Addressing problems internally before they become public ensures a healthier work culture and protects the organization’s reputation. Leaders should actively listen to concerns, rather than assume they already have the full picture. As one participant noted, letting go of the “IKEA effect” (the bias of believing that, because you built something, you know best) can help leaders become more receptive to feedback and uncover blind spots they might have missed.

Using Tools like 360 Reviews Wisely

Some agencies use 360-degree reviews to gather a well-rounded perspective on employee performance and satisfaction. When done correctly, these reviews can be a valuable tool for uncovering hidden issues and fostering a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. The group discussed limitations to the 360 review when the sample is so broad that the process becomes cumbersome and time-consuming.

Future Discussions: Giving and Receiving Feedback

In response to interest from participants, future events in this series may delve into topics such as effectively giving and receiving feedback in the workplace. These discussions will further explore how leaders and employees can improve their communication skills to create a safer, more productive environment for all.


Creating an organizational safe space isn’t easy, but the benefits are undeniable. By taking these insights to heart, leaders and employees alike can work together to build workplaces where everyone feels empowered to contribute. Thank you to all who joined the discussion and shared their valuable experiences and ideas!

Recap of “Horrible Bosses: How to Navigate a Toxic Workplace”

Recap submitted by NCAC Board Members, Kitty Wooley and Whitney Meyerhoeffer

On Tuesday, September 10th, the National Capital Area Chapter of the American Society of Public Administrators held a virtual Drinks and Conversations networking event.

Our Drinks and Conversations events arose out of the pandemic when the Board felt it was a good idea to have an open event where our colleagues in public administration could get together and talk about the issues we were facing in a relaxed environment. These events became a wonderful staple of our programming during the pandemic and have kept going with lively discussions. In the past year, the chapter has begun introducing themed Drinks and Conversations events that propose a topic for the discussion. The spirit of the networking event, where we share our experiences with candor and discuss strategies to handle issues, is still ever-present. If you’ve been to one of our Drinks & Conversations events you know this is a time for us to tip our drinkware and have open discussions about a topic.

This week’s event topic was Horrible Bosses: How to Navigate a Toxic Work Environment.

We’ve all heard stories—or perhaps lived them—of challenging work environments, difficult supervisors, or navigating office politics. 

Throughout the 1-hour event, attendees did not just listen; but engaged in an open, honest conversation about their own experiences. The group shared stories, asked questions, and offered each other support and a few strategies to navigate and overcome the obstacles that can make workplaces feel toxic.

We had meaningful and lively discussions and learned from one another’s journeys. 

This event is as much about connecting as it is about learning new strategies. 

This event was not recorded to be mindful of folks sharing experiences and to create a safe open space for sharing.

A member recounted how productivity in his situation ground to a halt under toxic leadership. Several other members shared strategies they used to try and effect change, some still trying to make changes even as they were exiting the job.

Questions arose about why these people do these things.

  1. They have personal agendas.
  2. Something is going on in their lives.
  3. They have some sort of lack of self-esteem, lack of confidence, or they are intimidated by something.
  4. Other reasons

There were also a few books mentioned relative to discussions about leadership, and how to a) be a successful leader and b) how to give and receive feedback to help improve yourself and others in the workplace.

Out of these discussions, as is often the case, other topics for future Drinks and Conversations events were proposed. One that we all agreed would be good to have soon is how to create a safe space for feedback (Thank you, Belva Martin!)

The main takeaways from the event and the most important bullet points the group wanted to make sure everyone knew:

  1. You are not suffering alone. It can feel very lonely and helpless in a toxic workplace. But always know, you are not alone in your struggle. There are others out there on similar journeys and it is essential that you know you aren’t alone and you don’t have to do this alone.
  2. It is important to find allies inside or outside of work. Find a trusted colleague at work or attend a networking event outside of work to find allies. Having a person to lean on, to talk to, or to vent and take a walk with is important to helping you get through this challenging time. The mental work it takes to manage difficult situations is taxing and giving ourselves the grace and space to process is important.
  3. Sometimes leaving has its own impact. While not always the case, choosing to leave your job can be a signal to higher-ups that there is an issue. Strategies such as mentioning to a higher-up leader that the reason you are leaving is because of a toxic situation can have an impact. Other times you can make HR aware that there is a reason why you are leaving. But even if you just leave and say nothing, there is an impact.
  4. Sometimes you learn more from the horrible manager. You learn who you are as a leader or what you are looking for in a company culture. You know the signs of a toxic workplace and can look for them in the future. You also are learning how you do not want to be treated, which in turn helps you be a better leader in the future.
  5. Organizations and businesses with bad leadership are not sustainable. Over time, poor leadership affects productivity, creativity, and teamwork. 

It was a great discussion and a helpful event with support and compassion.

Look for our next Drinks and Conversations event with the topic of creating safe spaces for feedback in the workplace.

Overview of our latest event: Preparing governments for future shocks: Roadmap to resilience

Preparing governments for future shocks: Roadmap to resilience

Our Panel:

  • J. Christopher Mihm, Adjunct Professor of Public Administration & International Affairs, Syracuse University Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and former Managing Director for Strategic Issues at GAO
  • Eric J. McNulty, National Preparedness Leadership Initiative Associate Director and Harvard-affiliated Author, Speaker, and Educator
  • Kriste Jordan Smith, TSA DFW Federal Security Director and 2024 Chair, Dallas-Fort Worth Federal Executive

Board

The panel was moderated by Smith, who later summed up the event as follows:

Reading for Thought Leaders:

  1. Preparing Government for Future Shocks, A Roadmap to Resilience, lead author Chris Mihm
  2. Harvard National Preparedness Leadership Institute (NPLI) resources such as the Boston Marathon Case Study and Eric McNulty’s book, You’re It, both at https://npli.sph.harvard.edu/resources/.

Beliefs to Shift Towards:

  1. Whole of community efforts outperform agency-centric planning
  2. Give people permission to adapt, and they will figure it out
  3. Collaboration delivers better results than competition; pursue collaborative capacity
  4. Integrating and harmonizing is our most important work
  5. Remember that governance is not just about driving towards a Return on Investment (ROI), it’s about creating relationships that integrate the horizontal and vertical

Skills to Cultivate:

  1. Deeply listening to non-traditional stakeholders; what “keeps them up at night?”
  2. Boundary spanning; extending your network beyond command and control lines of authority
  3. Identifying your “barnacles of bureaucracy”, considering how to remove them
  4. Staying iterative, keeping moving to evolve
  5. Systems thinking; understanding the incentives and drivers at play
  6. Refine how you think about resilience. Explore it in multiple ways: psychological “it’s all in our head”, engineering “you bend it, you break it”, and evolutionary, “adapt or die”
  7. Effective, human-centered storytelling
  8. Negotiating and Resolving Conflict
  9. Decision Sciences
  10. Foresight
    *8, 9, and 10 are a “package”, the baseline for successful public service professionals

Tools to Use:

  1. Human-centered design principles
  2. Situation Connectivity Map, per Harvard National Preparedness Leadership Initiative
  3. Tabletop Exercises; a tactical way to cultivate relationships long before you need them
  4. After Action Reviews; build in that whole of community perspective
  5. “Julie” – the virtual assistant at Amtrak; it works! One of the better examples of how automation does not have to result in the endless doom loop of ineffectiveness.

Contact Information:
 Chris Mihm, j.christopher.mihm@gmail.com
 Eric McNulty, eric@ericmcnulty.com
 Kriste Jordan Smith, kriste.jordan-smith@tsa.dhs.gov

Attend our Upcoming Event: Preparing governments for future shocks: A roadmap to resilience

Last November, Government Executive reported on a new study, “Preparing governments for future shocks: A roadmap to resilience,” released jointly by the National Academy of Public Administration and the IBM Center for the Business of Government under the executive sponsorship of Global Public Sector IBM. The Government Executive summary brings readers up to speed quickly and links directly to the seminal new study, which emphasizes cooperation among cross-sector networks to enable detailed actions that leaders in each can take to meet eight imperatives.

The National Capital Area Chapter will host a panel discussion featuring the study’s lead author, J. Christopher Mihm. Chris, a long-time chapter member and NAPA Fellow, is Adjunct Professor of Public Administration & International Affairs at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is the former Managing Director for Strategic Issues at the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) where he led GAO’s work on governance, strategy, and performance issues. Currently, he serves as Deputy Chair of the Governance, Audit and Compliance
Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).

The other two panel members are associated with the National Preparedness Leadership Initiative (NPLI) at Harvard University, as follows:
Eric J. McNulty, NPLI Associate Director and instructor in the
Health Care Negotiation and Conflict Resolution program.

McNulty is the principal author of the NPLI case studies on leadership decision making in the Boston Marathon bombing response, innovation in the response Hurricane Sandy and the professional/political interface in the Deepwater Horizon response, drawing upon his firsthand research as well as extensive interviews with leaders involved in the responses. Find the case studies at https://npli.sph.harvard.edu/resources/. He is co-author of You're It: Crisis, Change, and How to Lead When It Matters Most.

Kriste Jordan Smith, Director of Federal Security at DFW International Airport and 2024 Chair, Dallas-Fort Worth Federal Executive Board (FEB). Smith, who attended the NPLI program with Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Senior Executive Service colleagues, is at the tip of the spear when it comes to dealing with non-routine events that challenge resilience. Her TSA role’s efficacy depends on good working relationships with leaders of every other function at the 3rd busiest airport in the world by aircraft movements. The FEB role extends her network to 80 Federal Agency Heads and 220 Federal Departments, Independent Agencies, and Senior agency officials
throughout North Central Texas. Smith will moderate the discussion and Q & A.

2023 Annual Meeting

In May ASPA-NCAC held our 2023 Annual Conference on zoom!

Our keynote speaker was Beth Noveck, a professor at Northeastern University, where she directs the Burnes Center for Social Change and its partner project, The Governance Lab and its MacArthur Research Network on Opening Governance. She is the author of Solving Problems: How to Fix Our Government and Change Our World (Yale Press 2021).

It was a pleasure having Beth speak to us about her book and have a discussion.

We also awarded our Essay Contest winners with their awards and heard from them about their papers.

Included in our Annual Meeting portion of the evening was the presentation of an NCAC Award.

You can watch a recording of our event below.

ASPA NCAC 2023 Annual Meeting