Management Perspectives

In today’s challenging business landscape, leaders must embrace the opportunity to foster environments where employees can reach their full potential.

High-performance cultures don’t just happen; they require intentional strategies and leadership styles that encourage individual growth, team synergy, and organisational clarity. They also require a change from the old style ‘powerover’ dominant and extractive leadership model that is no longer fit for purpose. Secure base coaching delivers a more transformative, ‘power-with’ approach, deeply rooted in psychological safety and the unleashing of human potential.

This article explores the origins of secure base coaching, the ‘Play to Thrive’ concept, and the foundational principles of caring, daring, and sharing that enable and sustain high-performance cultures. The roots of secure base coaching Secure base coaching is inspired by attachment theory, a psychological framework developed separately by Mary Ainsworth and John Bowlby that emphasises the importance of secure relationships in enabling individuals to explore,learn, and grow.

The secure base coaching principles are also influenced by Carl Rogers’ person-centred approach and its three tenets of unconditional positive regard, empathic understanding and congruence. In a business context, a secure base is a leader, mentor, or coach who provides a balance of support and challenge; someone who instills confidence while encouraging individuals to step outside their comfort zones. By fostering trust and creating an emotionally safe environment, these leaders help individuals navigate fear, take calculated risks, and embrace opportunities for growth.

The ‘Play to Thrive’ concept

At the heart of secure base coaching is the ‘Play to Thrive’ ‘power-with’concept. This philosophy challenges the traditional ‘Play to Win’ ‘power-over’mindset, which often focuses on aggressive and relentless competition and short-term results. While winning is important, thriving emphasises sustainable growth, innovation, and well-being. Thriving requires the courage to be collaborative, to co-create, take risks, face uncertainties, and confront challenges head-on.

The ‘Play to Thrive’ approach releases productive energy by encouraging individuals to:

• Explore possibilities: Secure base leaders inspire curiosity and creativity, enabling team members to explore new ideas and approaches.
• Overcome fear: By providing psychological safety, leaders help individuals face their fears and turn them into opportunities for learning and development.
• Achieve balance: Thriving involves a harmonious integration of professional ambitions with personal well-being, ensuring sustainable high performance.

This shift from a survival mindset to a thriving mind shift transforms not only individuals but entire organisations, fostering cultures of innovation, resilience, and excellence. In the words of Anna Estrovopa, Global Leadership Programs Director at Sanofi, “When we, as leaders, want to play to thrive, it’s not about telling others “From now on we start playing to thrive, let’s go.” No questions, no discussions,

I said so, you go. This won’t work. It’s rather about creating the secure base and coaching our team, so that the team sees us as role models of both caring and daring, creating space to ask questions, raise concerns, think together and together come to understand the true benefits of playing to thrive.” The ‘Caring, Daring, and Sharing’ Framework To implement secure base coaching effectively, leaders must embody three key attributes: caring, daring, and sharing. These principles form the foundation of a high-performance culture.

Caring: Building trust and emotional safety

Caring is the cornerstone of secure base coaching. It is not about being nice; rather, it involves demonstrating genuine concern for the well-being of team members, leveraging Roger’s unconditional positive regard. It is about creating an environment where individuals feel accepted, valued, and respected.

• Active listening: Leaders create the conditions where people feel they can openly express how they feel and be actively listened to in the process. They use inquiry through open-ended questions to be curious, seek insight and increase engagement.
• Empathy in action: Leaders who practice empathic understanding relate to the challenges their teams face and offer appropriate support. For example, a manager who recognises the stress of a tight deadline might proactively offer resources or adjust priorities to alleviate pressure.
• Building relationships: Trust is built through consistent, authentic interactions. A leader who is congruent, approachable, and transparent fosters deeper connections with their team.

Daring: Encouraging growth and risk-taking Daring involves encouraging individuals to step out of their comfort zones and unlock their potential. Secure base leaders balance support with challenge, pushing their teams to achieve more than they thought possible.

• Courageous leadership: Daring leaders model courage by confronting difficult situations, making tough decisions, and embracing uncertainty. This sets a powerful example for their teams.
• Stretch assignments: By assigning tasks that require new skills or innovative thinking, leaders help employees grow while demonstrating their belief in their potential.
• Constructive feedback: Honest, constructive feedback is a hallmark of daring leadership. By addressing areas for improvement while acknowledging strengths, leaders inspire confidence and continuous development.

Sharing: Fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange Sharing completes the triad by emphasising collaboration, openness, and the free flow of ideas. In high-performance cultures, information is not hoarded; it’s shared to inform and empower the organisation.

• Knowledge sharing: Leaders who share their expertise and experiences create learning opportunities for their teams. This could involve mentoring, coaching, or simply being available to answer questions.
• Inclusive decision-making: By involving team members in decisions and valuing their input, leaders foster a sense of ownership, accountability and commitment.
• Celebrating success and failures: Sharing successes and failures, whether individual or collective, reinforces a positive culture where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities to motivate the team to aim higher. Practical steps for leaders To integrate secure base coaching into their leadership style, senior managers can take the following practical steps:
• Develop self-awareness: Leaders must first understand their own strengths, weaknesses, and emotional triggers. Selfaware leaders are better equipped to provide a secure base for others.
• Build deep connections: Take time to listen to and understand the needs, aspirations, and fears of each team member. Regular one-on-one and team meetings can help build trust and rapport.
• Balance support and challenge: Strive for a balance between nurturing and pushing. Offer encouragement and resources while setting ambitious goals.
• Foster a growth mind shift: Encourage continuous learning by celebrating progress, rewarding effort, and reframing failures as opportunities for growth.
• Lead by example: Demonstrate caring, daring, and sharing in your daily interactions. Model the behaviours you want to see in your team.

The impact on organisational culture

When leaders embrace secure base coaching, the ripple effects can transform organisational culture. Employees in highperformance cultures are more engaged, innovative, and resilient. They are willing to take calculated risks, collaborate effectively, and strive for excellence because they feel supported and empowered. Says OysterHR CEO, Tony Jamous, “Intentionally showing up as a safe leader, discerning when to care and when to dare, cultivates an environment that maximises human potential. Moreover, being a safe leader is not just advantageous for others, it significantly benefits the leader.

One must develop a secure relationship with oneself to effectively provide safety for others.” Moreover, secure base coaching aligns with broader organisational goals such as diversity, equity, talent attraction and retention, and inclusion. By creating environments where everyone feels safe to contribute, leaders can unleash the potential within themselves and their teams.

By embracing the principles of caring, daring, and sharing and adopting the ‘Play to Thrive’ mind shift, senior managers can cultivate environments which lay the foundation for sustainable success in today’s increasingly challenging business world.