Psychological Safety: The Foundation of Good Leadership
- Kristin Grissom
- Apr 6
- 3 min read
This week marks the start of the second quarter of the 1% Better Leadership Challenge!
The first quarter was about self-awareness and foundational leadership habits. Like how you show up... How you react... How you listen... How consistent you are... How clear you are.
As we move into the second quarter, the focus shifts outward. It focuses on relationships, trust, and how leadership shows up between people.
And there is no better place to start than psychological safety.
What Psychological Safety Really Is
Psychological safety has become a popular leadership term over the last several years. Sometimes it can get watered down, overused, or misunderstood. But at its core, it is very simple.
Psychological safety exists when people feel safe to speak up. They feel:
Safe to ask questions.
Safe to share ideas.
Safe to admit mistakes.
Safe to disagree.
Safe to be honest without fear of embarrassment or punishment.
I want to be clear that this does not mean the absence of accountability. It does, however, mean the presence of trust.
Gone are the days when leadership meant people simply took direction because someone had a title. People want to be seen, heard, and respected at work. They want to know that their voice matters.
...And frankly, it should.
Psychological Safety is Critical to High Performing Teams
Think about psychological safety outside of work.
In a healthy relationship or marriage, you can share your thoughts, fears, and concerns without worrying that doing so will be used against you later. You can be honest without bracing for retaliation. That safety allows you to show up fully.
The same concept applies at work, even though the context is different.
People are an organization’s greatest asset. Their ideas, creativity, and problem-solving ability bring enormous value that cannot be easily quantified. When people do not feel safe, they protect themselves. When they do feel safe, they contribute.
You cannot access the best thinking on your team if people are filtering themselves.
Psychological safety is not a soft skill. It is a performance enabler!
How Trust and Psychological Safety Are Built
Psychological safety does not appear overnight. It is built through patterns of consistent behavior over time.
This is where the first quarter of the 1% Better Challenge comes full circle.
All of those behaviors signal safety.
People watch how you respond when they bring you bad news.
They watch how you react when someone challenges an idea.
They watch what happens when mistakes are made.
Trust is built when leaders respond in ways that are consistent, respectful, and fair.
What Undermines Psychological Safety
Psychological safety is fragile. It can be damaged quickly, even unintentionally. And once it is damaged, it is very difficult (but not impossible) to rebuild.
Some common ways leaders undermine it:
Reacting defensively or emotionally
Shutting down dissent
Rewarding agreement over honesty
Punishing mistakes publicly
Saying you want feedback but reacting poorly when you get it
None of these behaviors make someone a bad leader. But left unchecked, they make it harder for people to bring their full selves to work.
And when people stop speaking up, leaders lose access to critical information. The further up the leadership ladder in an organization you are, the further from the minute details of the operations you are. Yet, the decision-making accountability almost always still lies in your hands. You need your team to speak up, share information, and give their ideas in order for a leader to make the best, most informed decisions possible.
Practical Ways Leaders Can Build Psychological Safety
This does not require grand gestures. It requires intention.
A few practical ways to start:
Ask for input before decisions are finalized
Thank people for speaking up, especially when it is uncomfortable
Normalize mistakes as learning moments, not character flaws
Respond to disagreement with curiosity instead of defensiveness
Admit when you do not have all the answers
Psychological safety is built when leaders model humility and respect.
Psychological Safety Is a Leadership Choice
You cannot force people to trust you, but you can create conditions where trust is more likely to grow.
When leaders create psychological safety, teams move faster, think bigger, and solve problems earlier. People stop self-censoring and start contributing.
This is the foundation of where high performing teams are built and maintained. It requires intention and checking your ego at the door, and your team and results will be better for it!
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