“For me, Lumina is always a moment to pause and reflect on yourself.”
For Joanna Thimme, the recent Lumina training on psychological safety was about much more than a training about teamwork. It was an opportunity to reflect on her own behaviour, communication style, and the influence she has on others.
Together with the other Venturn Young Professionals, she explored what psychological safety means in the workplace. In doing so, she also discovered something about herself: that her enthusiasm can sometimes be perceived differently by others than she intends. An insight that has changed the way she views collaboration, communication, and psychological safety.
What does psychological safety mean?
For Joanna, psychological safety is about more than just the atmosphere within a team. It is primarily about being aware of the impact your behaviour has on others.
“It’s about asking yourself: what effect am I having on the other person?” Joanna explains. “Sometimes you do something with the best intentions, but it can still come across differently to someone else.”
This insight was a recurring theme throughout the training. Psychological safety is not only about the environment you work in, but also about the contribution you make to it. By reflecting on your own behaviour and communication, you are challenged to consider how you can create an open and safe working environment for both yourself and those around you.
A moment for reflection
Joanna is 25 years old and originally comes from Germany. After completing her studies, she remained in Rotterdam and joined the Venturn traineeship in September last year.
For her first assignment, Joanna started working at North Sea Port. There, she became familiar with an organisational structure that suited her well. As a semi-public organisation, it places a strong emphasis on social responsibility, professional autonomy, and collaboration.
“I’ve had a really positive start here. My colleagues are supportive, and I’ve learned a lot about myself, as well as about how the organisation operates.”
Now that Joanna has gained almost a year of work experience, she was able to approach the Lumina training with fresh eyes and reflect on her own behaviour and the way she works with others.
For Joanna, the Lumina sessions are one of the most enjoyable parts of the traineeship.
“It gives you the space to pause and reflect on yourself and how you respond in certain situations.”
The training begins with a group check-in. How are you doing? What is currently on your mind? Are there any challenges you’re facing? From these conversations, the group then moves into the topic of the day: what does psychological safety mean to you?
World Café
To gather different perspectives on psychological safety, the Young Professionals took part in a World Café session. In small groups, they discussed questions such as: What does psychological safety in the workplace mean? And what can you do to create a psychologically safe working environment?
After each round, the groups moved to a different table, while one person remained behind to share the insights from the previous discussion. This allowed the conversations to continuously build upon one another.
“What makes it so valuable is that everyone has something to contribute, but you don’t have to start from scratch every time,” Joanna explains.
During these discussions, Joanna noticed that everyone viewed psychological safety differently. It was precisely these varying perspectives that made the conversations so engaging and provided new insights.
Introspection and psychological safety
The second day of the training focused on introspection. The Young Professionals explored psychological safety, communication, and behaviour together. The emphasis was not only on the workplace itself, but also on understanding your own role within it.
What are the conditions for psychological safety? Which skills can you develop to foster it? And how do you respond in different situations, for example when you feel stressed or under pressure?
A key element of the training involved examining the impact of your own behaviour on others. Characteristics that are often seen as positive can sometimes be experienced differently by the people around you.
The training also focused on effective communication. The goal is not simply to say what you mean, but to ensure that the other person understands the message you are trying to convey. This is a valuable skill when dealing with more challenging conversations or conflicts.
“Together, you explore how we deal with conflict and what a constructive approach looks like. How do you approach people? And how do you do so in a psychologically safe way?”
From intimidating to familiar
This was not Joanna’s first experience with a Lumina training session. Before joining Venturn, she had already participated in a session designed to help the trainees get to know one another.
“The first time I attended, everything was completely new. I found it quite intimidating. I didn’t know anyone. But I learned a great deal through Lumina. You really get to know people because everyone is very open and shares a lot about themselves.”
This time, however, the experience was very different. “This time it felt like the complete opposite. I feel entirely comfortable now. I know everyone and I know what to expect. That allows me to get much more out of the sessions. It’s interesting to see what a difference that makes.”
The atmosphere was equally relaxed and open for the VYP participants who had only recently started the traineeship and had not yet begun their assignments. Because they had already met one another at the office, there was a sense of familiarity. This created a lot of curiosity about the Lumina training and the experiences of other VYP participants.
Where does your authentic self fit in?
For Joanna, this training was a valuable addition to the traineeship. While she sometimes wishes she had gained these insights earlier, she also recognises that her practical experience has allowed the lessons to resonate more deeply.
“I’ve learned that I’m an enthusiastic, open and optimistic person. I bring a lot of energy into a room. But sometimes that energy can overwhelm people or unintentionally rub them the wrong way.”
That insight also raised an interesting question: where does your authentic self fit in?
According to Joanna, being mindful of others does not mean pretending to be someone you’re not. Rather, it is about understanding that people communicate, collaborate, and process information in different ways.
When you work closely with someone over a longer period, it helps to have open conversations about these differences. What does someone need from you? How do they prefer to receive feedback? Which communication style works best for them?
Having these conversations creates greater mutual understanding. And that, according to Joanna, is one of the foundations of a psychologically safe working environment.
Lumina for you
The Lumina training provides space for reflection. Whether something is on your mind at work or in your personal life, you are supported not only by fifteen fellow trainees but also by a professional facilitator who helps you view situations from different perspectives.
Does that mean you need to be facing a personal challenge in order to benefit from Lumina? Certainly not.
Listening to the experiences of others is often just as valuable. By helping fellow trainees think through their situations, you gain insight into how others handle difficult conversations, collaborate with colleagues, and overcome personal challenges. These lessons often prove useful in your own professional journey.
For Joanna, this may be the greatest strength of the training.
“The real challenge is not leaving it behind in that room, but taking it with you afterwards.”
Because psychological safety is not created during a single training day. It develops through everyday conversations, collaboration with others, and the choices you make along the way.
About the VYP Traineeship
The Lumina training sessions form part of the two-year Venturn Young Professional traineeship programme. Throughout the programme, trainees combine challenging assignments within the maritime supply chain with personal development, coaching, and training. This enables them to grow not only in terms of professional expertise, but also as professionals and individuals.
