Fifth Month Detailed Schedule

Weeks 17-20: Phase 2B - Psychological Safety & Trust

Phase 2A taught you what motivates people. Phase 2B reveals the ENVIRONMENT they need to actually perform - one where they feel safe to take risks, speak up, and bring their full selves to work.

How to Use This Schedule

Daily Time Commitment: 30-60 minutes

• Morning option: During baby’s first nap
• Evening option: After baby’s bedtime
• Split option: 15 min morning + 15-30 min evening

Flexibility Rules:

• Miss a day? Just continue where you left off
• Behind schedule? Skip optional items (marked with *)
• Ahead? Move to next day or go deeper on current material

Icons:

• :movie_camera: Video/Course
• :books: Reading
• :headphones: Audiobook-friendly
• :memo: Writing/Reflection
• :wrench: Setup task
• :brain: AI practice
• :zap: Quick task (< 15 min)

Week 17: The Fearless Organization - Creating Psychological Safety

Goal: Complete “The Fearless Organization” + Assess your own environment’s safety level

Day 113 (Monday)

Key Definition:

“Psychological safety is a belief that one will not be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes.” - Amy Edmondson

Why It Matters: Google’s Project Aristotle found psychological safety was the #1 predictor of team success. Not talent, not resources - SAFETY.

Day 114 (Tuesday)

The Fear-Safety Spectrum:

FEAR <─────────────────────────> SAFETY

Silence          <─>          Voice
Blame            <─>          Learning
Self-protection  <─>          Collaboration
Playing it safe  <─>          Innovation

Why Teams Fail Under Fear:

• Smart people stay silent
• Obvious problems go unreported
• Bad ideas don’t get challenged
• Good ideas don’t get shared

Day 115 (Wednesday)

TED Talk: How to Turn a Group of Strangers into a Team (Amy Edmondson on teaming and psychological safety)

What Psychological Safety IS and ISN’T:

Day 116 (Thursday)

Team Safety Assessment: Rate your current environment 1-10 on each:

• I can ask questions without looking stupid: ___
• I can admit mistakes without being blamed: ___
• I can challenge ideas without being seen as negative: ___
• I can propose new ideas without being dismissed: ___
• I can ask for help without being seen as weak: ___

Your total: ___ /50

Day 117 (Friday)

The Leader’s Role:

1. Frame the Work - Set expectations for uncertainty and interdependence
2. Invite Participation - Ask questions, genuinely seek input
3. Respond Productively - Thank people for speaking up, even with bad news

Questions Leaders Should Ask:

• “What am I missing?”
• “What could go wrong?”
• “Who disagrees with this?”
• “What do you need from me?”

Day 118 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

Case Studies in the Book:

• Pixar: Braintrust meetings with radical candor
• Toyota: Andon cord - anyone can stop production
• Google: Project Aristotle findings

Your Action Plan: Write 3 specific things you can do to increase psychological safety:

Day 119 (Sunday) - Review + Transition

AI prompt:

Help me diagnose psychological safety in my environment.
I'll describe a recent situation where I (or someone) hesitated to speak up.
Ask me questions to uncover what barriers existed.
Then suggest what could have made it safer.

Week 17 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 18, you should have:

• Finished “The Fearless Organization”
• Watched Amy Edmondson TED Talk
• Completed Team Safety Assessment (self-rated)
• Written 3 actions to increase safety
• Created 10+ flashcards on psychological safety
• Obtained “Right Kind of Wrong”

Key Insight: Without safety, people can’t access autonomy, pursue mastery, or connect to purpose.

Week 18: Right Kind of Wrong - The Science of Failing Well

Goal: Complete “Right Kind of Wrong” + Learn to distinguish failure types

Day 120 (Monday)

The Core Insight:

Not all failures are equal. We need to distinguish between good failures (intelligent) and bad failures (preventable) - and embrace the right kind.

Day 121 (Tuesday)

Three Types of Failure:

Day 122 (Wednesday)

Failure Audit Exercise: Think of 3 recent failures (yours or observed):

Day 123 (Thursday)

AI prompt:

I want to analyze a failure I experienced: [describe the failure].
Ask me questions to help determine:
1. What type of failure was it (Basic, Complex, or Intelligent)?
2. What could have prevented it (if preventable)?
3. What was learned that couldn't have been learned any other way?

The Failure Paradox:

• Organizations that punish all failure get LESS learning
• Organizations that embrace intelligent failure get MORE innovation
• The goal is to fail SMALL and FAST in service of learning

Day 124 (Friday)

How to Fail Well:

1. Set learning goals - Not just performance goals
2. Create a failure-safe zone - Explicit permission to experiment
3. Analyze failures - Blameless post-mortems
4. Share failures - Make learning public

Questions to Ask After Failure:

• Was this an intelligent failure (hypothesis-testing)?
• What did we learn?
• How can we fail smaller next time?
• Who else should know this?

Day 125 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

TED Talk: Why It’s Time to Forget the Pecking Order at Work

Key insight from Heffernan: Super-chickens (the highest performers) often suppress the performance of others. Teams succeed through social cohesion, not individual stars.

Day 126 (Sunday) - Review + Transition

Reflection Questions:

1. How do you typically respond when you fail? _______________
2. Do you distinguish between failure types? _______________
3. What would change if you celebrated intelligent failures? _______________

Week 18 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 19, you should have:

• Finished “Right Kind of Wrong”
• Watched Margaret Heffernan TED Talk
• Completed Failure Audit (3 failures categorized)
• Created 15+ flashcards (cumulative for Phase 2B)
• Obtained “The Culture Code”

Research Finding: Organizations with “psychological safety for failure” have 2x the innovation output.

Week 19: The Culture Code - The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups

Goal: Complete “The Culture Code” + Identify belonging cues you can use

Day 127 (Monday)

The Core Idea: Great cultures aren’t accidents. They’re built through specific behaviors repeated consistently.

Skill 1: Build Safety

• Belonging cues: signals that we’re connected
• Eye contact, physical proximity, attention
• Small moments matter more than big gestures

Day 128 (Tuesday)

Safety Cues to Practice:

• “We’re in this together”
• “Your voice matters”
• “It’s safe to take risks here”

Physical Cues That Signal Safety:

• Leaning in when others speak
• Making eye contact
• Putting away phones
• Nodding and acknowledging

Day 129 (Wednesday)

Skill 2: Share Vulnerability

• Leaders go first
• Vulnerability loops: Person A shares → Person B shares → Trust builds
• “I need help” is strength, not weakness

The Vulnerability Loop:

Leader admits mistake/uncertainty
         ↓
Team member feels safe to admit theirs
         ↓
Trust deepens
         ↓
More vulnerability shared
         ↓
Even deeper trust

Day 130 (Thursday)

TED Talk: Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe

Skill 3: Establish Purpose

• Simple, clear, repeated
• Stories that illustrate “why we’re here”
• Connect daily work to meaningful goals

Day 131 (Friday)

Case Studies in the Book:

• U.S. Navy SEALs
• Pixar Animation
• San Antonio Spurs
• IDEO Design

Your Belonging Cues Action List: Write 5 specific belonging cues you will practice:

Day 132 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

Begin “Radical Candor”:

The best managers Care Personally AND Challenge Directly at the same time.

Day 133 (Sunday) - Review + Continue

The 3 Skills Review:

1. Build Safety - Belonging cues
2. Share Vulnerability - Leaders go first
3. Establish Purpose - Simple, clear, repeated

Week 19 Checkpoint

Before moving to Week 20, you should have:

• Finished “The Culture Code”
• Watched Simon Sinek TED Talk (Why Good Leaders Make You Feel Safe)
• Listed 5 belonging cues you will practice
• Started “Radical Candor”
• Created 20+ flashcards (cumulative for Phase 2B)

Week 20: Radical Candor + Five Dysfunctions - Complete Phase 2B

Goal: Complete “Radical Candor” + “Five Dysfunctions” + Phase 2B Reflection

Day 134 (Monday)

The Radical Candor Framework:

                CHALLENGE DIRECTLY
                        ^
                        |
    OBNOXIOUS          |         RADICAL
    AGGRESSION         |         CANDOR
                        |          *
    --------------------------> CARE PERSONALLY
                        |
    MANIPULATIVE       |         RUINOUS
    INSINCERITY        |         EMPATHY
                        |

Day 135 (Tuesday)

The 4 Quadrants:

Day 136 (Wednesday)

AI prompt:

I need to give feedback to someone about [situation].
Help me prepare using the Radical Candor framework.
Ask me clarifying questions about:
1. What behavior I observed
2. What impact it had
3. What I want to see change
Then help me script the conversation so it's caring AND direct.

The Feedback Formula:

1. Situation: What happened
2. Behavior: What you observed
3. Impact: Effect on you/team/work
4. Question: “What’s your perspective?”

Day 137 (Thursday)

Self-Assessment: Where do you typically fall on the grid?

• Radical Candor (ideal)
• Ruinous Empathy (most common)
• Obnoxious Aggression
• Manipulative Insincerity

What pulls you toward Ruinous Empathy? _______________

Key Principles:

• It’s not mean, it’s clear - Withholding feedback isn’t kindness
• Criticism is a gift - When delivered with care
• Praise in public, criticize in private - Usually
• Get feedback before giving it - “What could I do better?”

Day 138 (Friday)

The 5 Dysfunctions Pyramid:

                    5. INATTENTION TO RESULTS
                           Focus on ego/status
                               ^
                    4. AVOIDANCE OF ACCOUNTABILITY
                           Not holding each other accountable
                               ^
                    3. LACK OF COMMITMENT
                           Ambiguity, no buy-in
                               ^
                    2. FEAR OF CONFLICT
                           Artificial harmony
                               ^
                    1. ABSENCE OF TRUST <-- FOUNDATION
                           Invulnerability, hiding weaknesses

Day 139 (Saturday) - Lighter Day

Team Dysfunction Diagnosis: Think of a team you’ve been part of. Which dysfunctions did you observe?

Fix Them Bottom-Up:

Day 140 (Sunday) - Phase 2B Completion + Transition

Trust = Vulnerability:

• Share personal stories
• Admit mistakes openly
• Ask for help
• Acknowledge weaknesses

Phase 2B Reflection Questions

Complete these before moving to Phase 2C:

1. How psychologically safe is your environment? (Rate 1-10)

   • Score: ___
   • What’s ONE thing that would increase it? _______________

2. Think of a recent failure. What type was it?

   • Basic (preventable with process)
   • Complex (multiple factors)
   • Intelligent (hypothesis-testing)
   • What did you learn? _______________

3. Map yourself on the Radical Candor grid:

   • Where do you typically fall? _______________
   • What pulls you toward Ruinous Empathy? _______________
   • One conversation you need to have: _______________

4. Which of the 5 Dysfunctions do you see most often?

   • In teams you’ve been part of: _______________
   • How could you address it? _______________

5. Name 3 belonging cues you will practice:

   1. ---

   2. ---

   3. ---

Week 20 Checkpoint

After Week 20, you should have:

• Finished “Radical Candor”
• Finished “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team”
• Practiced preparing a candid conversation (with AI)
• Self-mapped on Radical Candor grid
• Diagnosed a team’s dysfunctions
• Completed Phase 2B reflection questions
• Watched 3 TED Talks (Edmondson, Heffernan, Sinek)
• Created 30+ flashcards (Phase 2B)
• Updated PROGRESS_TRACKER.md - Phase 2B complete!

Month 5 Complete!

What You’ve Accomplished

Phase 2B (Weeks 17-20):

• “The Fearless Organization” - Amy Edmondson (Psychological safety)
• “Right Kind of Wrong” - Amy Edmondson (Failing well)
• “The Culture Code” - Daniel Coyle (Building great cultures)
• “Radical Candor” - Kim Scott (Caring + Challenging)
• “The Five Dysfunctions of a Team” - Patrick Lencioni (Team health)
• 3 TED Talks (Edmondson, Heffernan, Sinek)
• 30+ flashcards
• Team safety assessment
• Failure audit exercise
• Candor practice

Time Invested

• Month 5 Total: ~30-35 hours
• Daily average: ~50 minutes
• Running total: ~140-155 hours

You Now Understand:

• How to create psychologically safe environments
• The difference between good and bad failures
• How great cultures are built (safety, vulnerability, purpose)
• How to give feedback that’s caring AND challenging
• How to diagnose and fix team dysfunctions

Next Steps: Phase 2C Preview

Phase 2C: Influence & Ethical Persuasion (Weeks 21-24)

You can create safe environments. Now learn how to INFLUENCE within those environments - ethically. Safety is the foundation; influence is the tool you use once safety exists.

Upcoming books:

Key insight: Influence without safety is manipulation. Influence with safety is leadership.

Continue to Phase 2C: Influence & Ethical Persuasion

Troubleshooting

“I’m behind schedule”

This is completely normal! Options:

1. Prioritize: If you can only read 2 books: “The Fearless Organization” + “Radical Candor”
2. TED Talks: Edmondson’s and Sinek’s talks cover core concepts
3. Audiobook: All five books have good audio versions
4. Extend: Take 5-6 weeks instead of 4

“The Fearless Organization is too academic”

• Amy Edmondson’s TED Talk covers the core concepts (12 min)
• Focus on Chapters 1-3 and 8-9 for practical application
• Skip detailed research methodology chapters

“Radical Candor feels uncomfortable”

• Most people default to Ruinous Empathy - you’re not alone
• Start with lower-stakes feedback situations
• Practice with AI first to build confidence
• Remember: withholding feedback isn’t kindness

“Five Dysfunctions seems obvious”

• It’s a fable format - quick read, simple concepts
• Power is in the bottom-up sequence
• Diagnose a real team for deeper learning
• Use the free assessment at tablegroup.com

Quick Reference Card

Daily Routine (30-45 min)

1. Flashcard review (5 min)
2. Main reading (25-35 min)
3. Reflection note (5 min)

Weekly Routine

• Monday-Friday: Main reading
• Saturday: TED Talk + lighter reading/audiobook
• Sunday: Review + reflection

Psychological Safety Questions (Edmondson)

• “What am I missing?”
• “What could go wrong?”
• “Who disagrees?”
• “What do you need from me?”

The 3 Failure Types

• Basic: Prevent with checklists
• Complex: Analyze without blame
• Intelligent: Celebrate the learning!

Radical Candor Formula

Care Personally + Challenge Directly = Radical Candor

The 5 Dysfunctions (bottom-up fix)

1. Trust → Vulnerability exercises
2. Conflict → Permission to disagree
3. Commitment → Clear decisions
4. Accountability → Public goals
5. Results → Team-first scoreboard

Five months complete. You understand yourself (Phase 1), what motivates people (Phase 2A), and how to create safe environments for them to thrive (Phase 2B). Phase 2C teaches you how to influence and persuade within those safe environments.

Continue to Phase 2C: Influence & Ethical Persuasion

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