There’s a common misconception about leadership—one that I’ve encountered time and time again in my career. It’s the idea that leadership is about having all the answers, making the tough calls, and projecting unwavering confidence. While there’s certainly a place for decisiveness in leadership, I’ve come to understand that real leadership, the kind that fosters innovation and genuine engagement, is rooted in something far deeper: psychological safety.
The concept of psychological safety isn’t new, but it’s finally starting to get the attention it deserves. At its core, psychological safety is about creating an environment where employees feel comfortable speaking up without fear of punishment or ridicule. It’s about fostering a culture where people can ask questions, offer dissenting opinions, and take risks without fear of retribution.
This isn’t just a feel-good concept. In fact, there are a wealth of studies that highlight the bottom-line benefits of cultivating psychologically safe work cultures.
Google’s 2012 initiative called Project Aristotle analyzed hundreds of teams to identify the factors that contributed to their success and determine what factors made a team more successful than others. That research revealed that psychological safety was the strongest indicator of a high-performing team. In other words, teams where individuals felt comfortable taking risks and openly expressing vulnerability were significantly more likely to thrive.
More research shows that teams operating in a culture of trust are more innovative, solve problems faster, and are more engaged. Take a 2012 study of R&D teams in Taiwanese tech firms: those with strong psychological safety performed better and were more innovative (Huang & Jiang, 2012).
Cross-functional and cognitively diverse teams are also shown to thrive in psychologically safe environments. A study of 195 student teams at a French university found that when psychological safety was high, teams with different areas of expertise collaborated seamlessly. When it was missing, those same teams struggled to perform (Martins et al., 2013).
And in a Belgian hospital, nurses in high-trust environments were more likely to report errors, strengthening safety protocols and preventing harm (Leroy et al., 2012). A similar study from a major U.S. hospital found a direct link between psychological safety and better patient outcomes (Rathert et al., 2009).
The takeaway? High-performing teams don’t just work harder, they work better in environments where trust fuels bold thinking, accountability, and better results.
Recommended: Download Workplace Options’ Study & Blueprint for Psychological Safety in the Workplace
Of course, all of this underscores the importance of psychological safety but may not offer practical strategies for implementing it in today’s business environment. The truth is, a positive, psychologically-safe workplace culture starts at the top – and during my recent conversation with Bob Batchelor, the importance of this as a leadership imperative became even more clear to me.
One of the biggest challenges I’ve faced as a leader is ensuring that psychological safety isn’t just a theory, but a lived reality within my organization. I’ve always prided myself on being an open and transparent leader, but the reality is, that’s not enough. Creating an environment where people feel truly safe to speak up requires more than good intentions; it requires active effort, continuous reinforcement, and a willingness to be vulnerable myself.
For example, I recently received feedback from my team about misalignment and confusion around some of the directives I had given. I won’t lie—my initial reaction was to feel a little stung. But I quickly realized that this was a gift. The fact that my team felt comfortable enough to bring this to me was proof that we were on the right path. It was a signal that they believed in our culture of trust enough to take that risk. And, as a leader, it was my job to not only receive that feedback with humility but to act on it in a way that reinforced that trust.
One of the insights from my conversation with Bob that really resonated with me was the idea that role modeling alone isn’t enough to instill a culture of psychological safety. We often assume that if we demonstrate the right behaviors, others will follow suit. But in reality, it takes more than that. It takes repetition, reinforcement, and a commitment to constantly driving the message home.
It’s like advertising—no matter how ubiquitous a brand is, they never stop marketing. Coca-Cola doesn’t assume that everyone knows about their product and call it a day. They continue to push their message, ensuring that new audiences engage with them and that existing customers remain loyal. The same applies to company culture. We can’t assume that just because we’ve mentioned psychological safety in a town hall or an email that it has been absorbed and internalized. We need to reinforce it constantly.
That’s where storytelling becomes a powerful tool. People may not remember a slogan, but they will remember a story. As a leader, sharing personal experiences—both successes and failures—creates connections and reinforces the culture you’re trying to build. When I share my own struggles with feedback, and my own moments of vulnerability, it helps normalize that process for others. It signals that it’s okay to not have all the answers, that growth and learning are part of leadership, and that psychological safety isn’t just a buzzword—it’s an expectation.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that creating a culture of psychological safety is not easy. It requires intentionality, persistence, and a fundamental shift in how we approach leadership. And yet, so many organizations struggle to prioritize it.
Why? Because it’s hard work. Because it requires a fundamental rethinking of traditional power dynamics in the workplace. Because it demands that leaders be open to criticism, challenge their own assumptions, and step out of their comfort zones. And let’s be honest—many leaders aren’t willing to do that.
It’s much easier to check the box with surface-level initiatives—offering mental health benefits, conducting a few training sessions, or implementing a feedback tool—than to actually dig into the systemic issues that undermine psychological safety. But the organizations that do put in the work, that commit to transparency, trust, and inclusion, are the ones that truly thrive. They are the ones that attract and retain top talent, foster innovation, and create workplaces where people actually want to be.
As I reflect on my own journey and the insights from my conversation with Bob, I can’t help but think about the generational shifts happening in the workplace. Younger generations are coming in with different expectations. They value authenticity, inclusivity, and mental well-being in ways that previous generations often didn’t prioritize. They are less willing to tolerate toxic work environments, and they expect their leaders to embody the values they preach.
That’s both a challenge and an opportunity for today’s leaders. We have a chance to reshape the workplace, to build cultures where people don’t just survive but thrive. But that won’t happen by accident. It requires conscious effort. It requires a commitment to lifelong learning. And most importantly, it requires a willingness to be open—to feedback, to change, and to the possibility that we don’t have all the answers.
So, as you move forward in your own leadership journey, I challenge you to make a renewed commitment to psychological safety—not just as a concept, but as a practice. Because at the end of the day, leadership isn’t about having all the answers – it’s about creating an environment where people feel safe enough to help find them together.
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