The Power of Psychological Safety: Unleashing Team Potential in Leadership

Leaders who prioritize a psychologically safe space are focused on their most valuable assets: people. A psychologically safe space allows people to freely speak up without fear of retaliation.

Results are exponentially better when those behind the results feel comfortable taking interpersonal risk; whether at home, at school, on the soccer field, or in a corporate boardroom.

People are more productive when they feel safe. If you are a leader, it’s your responsibility to foster an environment where those you lead feel psychologically safe.

Meriam was an experienced new hire in Quality Assurance at a prominent company. One day, she noticed her manager made an error in communicating a product quality standard. Meriam knew the information was incorrect, but froze at the thought of giving her boss feedback. In her previous job, that would be career suicide.

But something was different here. In fact, her new manager was more approachable and collaborative than she was used to. So, Meriam drew up courage and shared her observation with her manager in a calm and respectful voice.

The manager smiled and thanked Meriam for saying something. He then asked Meriam to help him communicate the correct standard. Years later, Meriam is quick to share how this experience in a psychologically safe workplace helped her grow as a leader.

The Fear Factor

The enemy of safety is fear. When employees do not feel psychologically safe, they will shut down from fear.

• Fear of speaking up causing problems to go unresolved.

• Fear of taking risks causing employees to play it safe and never tapping into innovation territory.

• Fear of communicating bad news. When something does not go as planned, the result could range from not communicating the reality to ethical issues like falsifying information.

Fear is a great motivator. It dominates an environment devoid of psychological safety.

Benefits of a Psychologically Safe Environment

No doubt, you’ll agree there are many benefits to psychological safety. Let’s discuss three key benefits of developing a space where teams feel safe.

1) People freely contribute their diverse perspectives without fear of being discounted, devalued, or dismissed.

In a safe environment, everyone feels comfortable communicating ideas, questioning assumptions, and providing feedback on blind spots.

In such a culture, everyone enjoys the inherent value of bringing broader perspectives to the table and operating in an environment where unconventional solutions readily surface.  The result is better problem-solving approaches and more holistic solutions, and that’s good for business.

Contrarily, when team members do not feel psychologically safe, they do not feel free to speak up. They withhold their ideas, hesitate taking risks, decline involvement beyond base expectations, and behave as spectators rather than business owners.

2) People grow and develop exponentially because they feel OK admitting their mistakes and showing vulnerability.

In a psychologically safe workspace, mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn and grow.

Team members feel safe trying new ideas, approaches, and taking personal risks. They also feel safe stretching themselves beyond their comfort zone. Because they feel supported, particularly if a well-thought-out risk does not go as expected, they will see rapid development from their lived experiences.

On the other hand, when employees do not feel safe to take risks and push themselves, their development will be stunted.

3) People are more creative, and innovation thrives because team members readily engage their creativity without being discounted.

They can challenge the norm, think outside the box, and provide “what if” scenarios that are beyond the limitations of the status quo.

They feel their crazy ideas will be heard and evaluated on their merits. These environments experience the surfacing of creative solutions to the most challenging problems.

People will step back, not challenge the status quo, and withhold information in the presence of fear. This can result in a stagnant business innovation program.

The cost of an environment lacking psychological safety is not measured in compliance with expectations but in missed opportunities. People will comply with what’s expected rather than being creative and identifying what’s possible. People will stop asking questions or sharing information.  If you shut them down, they become less trusting, more risk-adverse, and more defensive.

Creating a Psychologically Safe Space

Psychological safety does not come by default. It’s shaped by leaders who want to motivate, inspire, and empower others. That leader must set the tone and role model the desired culture.

1) Develop credibility and trust through your consistent, respectful actions. Trust comes from mutual respect.

• Shows respect for others and the value they bring by acknowledging them.

• Celebrate their uniqueness, diverse perspectives, and approaches.

• Coach and encourage them when things do not go as expected, instead of criticizing their bad results.

• Give feedback constructively as a gift rather than chastisement.

2) Encourage open communication.

• Invite participation. Show that you don’t have all the answers and invite diverse perspectives.

• Be open to receiving feedback on your action plans, and encourage others to expose your blind spots or other unknown personal gaps.

• Encourage your team to “say something if they see something.” That means they should feel OK to share a concern without fear of retaliation or victimization.

3) Create an environment where mistakes are seen as learning opportunities.

• Treat mistakes as data to find opportunities, not failure.

• Eliminate the blame game.

• Focus on the problem. Not the person.

4) Show interest versus judgment. Watch your language and what you are communicating with your non-verbal cues.

• Listen actively. Active listening is critical to open communication.

• Ask questions for understanding and demonstrate interest.

• Show curiosity and engage for understanding.

5) Reinforce the positive and address the harmful behaviors.

• Quickly address negative behaviors. If a standard is not upheld, it’s as if it does not exist.

• Be consistent in recognizing positive behaviors.

• Show that you care when addressing issues. Be respectful and do it privately when needed, with empathy and compassion.

Psychological safety is not a strange concept. It’s not soft leadership.

It’s essential in our current work environment of uncertainty and volatility. It’s essential for a healthy culture where employees thrive, innovation is rampant, and business results break records.

Empowered Leader Reflection

When was the last time someone on your team felt safe enough to disagree with you, and what was your reaction?

If this resonates with you, please forward to others and share your thoughts with us below.

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