Psychological safety – a few things for leaders to know….

Psychological safety is people’s belief that they can speak up, ask questions, and make mistakes without fear of embarrassment or punishment. It’s an environment leaders should want to create because it is now recognized as one of the strongest predictors of learning behavior, innovation, quality improvement and team resilience.

In complex, fast-moving environments, silence is dangerous. Yet in my coaching work, many senior leaders still assume: “If there’s a problem, people will tell me.” (how many times have you actually told your boss that there is a problem with the team, the dynamics, or heaven forbid, them?)

In reality, people often don’t speak up because of past negative experiences, unclear expectations, subtle power dynamics and leaders’ non-verbal reactions – all the things that can get in the way of open and honest communication.

Psychologically safe leaders are valuable role models and you can learn their skills. They actively design conversations to invite contribution. They ask open, neutral questions, and reward candor, even when it is uncomfortable. Also uncomfortable – they admit their own mistakes publicly and respond constructively to challenge. Not easy but again with practice it gets easier.

One leadership team I supported believed they had an open culture. However, in confidential coaching sessions, team members described a lot of hesitation with challenging senior voices and also the fear of appearing incompetent kept them from speaking out. Some also expressed increasing frustrating at decisions being “pre-made”. Their leader had no idea. So we introduced a simple leadership practice – at the start of major discussions, the most senior person spoke last. This small structural change dramatically altered participation patterns.

This is a small example of a simple fix bringing great results and I’m sure there are tons more like that out there. A lot of little changes a leader can learn can improve every team environment and their communication. Psychological safety is built through consistent micro-behaviors and constantly checking back with your teams to see if it’s working.

The benefits are worth it!