BRAVE® Behaviours: The Antidote to Toxic Work Environments

Contributed by Cindy Benning

Toxic environments undermine the very foundation of psychological safety, making it difficult for teams to thrive. However, fostering a psychologically safe environment can be a powerful antidote to toxicity. In 2008, Dr. David Rock introduced the SCARF model in his seminal paper, “SCARF: A Brain-Based Model for Collaborating With and Influencing Others,” outlining five essential elements for psychological safety. This article explores how the BRAVE® leadership behaviours—Benevolence, Respect, Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Emotional Consciousness—can be integrated with the SCARF model to not only strengthen psychological safety but also create a culture rooted in trust, openness, and high performance.

SCARF Model Overview

Dr. David Rock’s SCARF model is rooted in neuroscience and describes five domains that influence social experience:

1. Status – the sense of being respected and valued relative to others.
2. Certainty – the ability to predict future events or outcomes.
3. Autonomy – a sense of control over one’s environment or decisions.
4. Relatedness – the feeling of safety with others, sensing they are friends, not foes.
5. Fairness – the perception that decisions and processes are equitable.

Each of these factors plays a crucial role in determining how individuals engage within teams and organizations. A lack of any of these elements can lead to anxiety, disengagement, and fear. By consciously practicing the BRAVE® behaviours, leaders can address these critical needs effectively.

Benevolence

Benevolence is the act of genuinely caring for the well-being of others and putting their needs above personal gain. This virtue is a powerful force for fostering several SCARF attributes:

• Status: Benevolent leaders help elevate their team members’ status by showing they are valued and respected. When leaders prioritize their team’s success and happiness, individuals feel seen and appreciated, which reinforces their sense of status within the group.
• Relatedness: Benevolence builds a sense of belonging and connectedness. By demonstrating genuine concern for each team member, leaders bridge the emotional gap, strengthening relationships and making individuals feel safe to share and collaborate.
• Fairness: Benevolent leaders create fair environments where decisions and actions reflect consideration for everyone’s best interest. This establishes a sense of trust that fairness will guide actions and decisions, promoting psychological safety.

Respect

Respect involves recognizing the intrinsic value of others and treating them with dignity, even in disagreement or conflict. This virtue directly nurtures several SCARF attributes:

• Status: When leaders consistently show respect, team members feel valued and important, which elevates their sense of status within the organization. Respect ensures that each individual’s voice is heard, and opinions are treated with dignity.
• Certainty: Respect leads to predictability in interactions. Knowing that one’s contributions will be met with respect regardless of the circumstances helps create a stable environment. This sense of predictability reduces anxiety and increases certainty about future interactions.
• Fairness: Respectful leaders foster environments where everyone is treated equally, ensuring fairness across the board. Fair treatment based on respect instills confidence in the processes, fostering trust and openness.

Authenticity

Authenticity is about being genuine and transparent in interactions, allowing others to see the true self, free from pretense. This virtue plays a key role in developing SCARF attributes such as:

• Autonomy: When leaders lead with authenticity, they encourage individuals to be themselves and take ownership of their work. This sense of freedom to express and act authentically enhances an individual’s autonomy within the team.
• Certainty: Authenticity creates trust and reduces ambiguity. By being transparent about motives and actions, leaders help team members know what to expect, fostering a sense of certainty that enables better decision-making.
• Relatedness: Authenticity builds deeper, more meaningful connections among team members, strengthening bonds of relatedness. When leaders and team members interact without pretense, the team feels more connected and cohesive.

Vulnerability

Vulnerability, the willingness to be open about personal challenges, uncertainties, or failures, is a powerful leadership trait that humanizes leaders and encourages openness in teams. This virtue contributes to multiple SCARF attributes:

• Relatedness: When leaders show vulnerability, they create emotional connections with their teams. This fosters a sense of trust and belonging, making others feel safe to express their own vulnerabilities without fear of judgment.
• Status: Paradoxically, vulnerability can enhance status. When a leader demonstrates the courage to be vulnerable, it sets an example that builds respect and admiration from others. This can raise the leader’s status while making team members feel more empowered.
• Fairness: Vulnerable leaders promote fairness by showing that everyone, including leadership, is imperfect. This humanizes the decision-making process and demonstrates that fairness is a core value, even in difficult situations.

Emotional Consciousness

Emotional consciousness refers to being aware of one’s emotions and the emotions of others, and using that awareness to guide interactions and decisions. This virtue underpins several SCARF attributes:

• Fairness: Emotionally conscious leaders are better equipped to make balanced, fair decisions. By understanding the emotional impacts of decisions on individuals, leaders can ensure that processes are equitable and just, fostering a strong sense of fairness within the team.
• Relatedness: Emotional consciousness helps leaders build stronger relationships by recognizing and responding appropriately to the emotions of team members. This responsiveness enhances relatedness, as people feel understood and valued.
• Certainty: By being emotionally attuned, leaders can address concerns and manage conflicts before they escalate, creating an environment of emotional stability. This helps reduce uncertainty, as team members feel confident that their emotions will be respected and addressed.

Conclusion

The BRAVE virtues—Benevolence, Respect, Authenticity, Vulnerability, and Emotional Consciousness—align seamlessly with the SCARF model’s key attributes. Each virtue contributes to the development of multiple SCARF elements, enabling leaders to create a psychologically safe environment where team members feel valued, understood, and empowered. By consciously applying the BRAVE virtues, leaders can not only meet but exceed the psychological needs outlined in the SCARF model, paving the way for a high-trust, high-performance culture that drives long-term success.