How to create Psychological Safety
- Author: Ryan Jenkins
- Word Count: 365
Read the news article
Here are six ways to create psychological safety to re-engage and reassure today’s anxious, disengaged and lonely workforce.
Teams can be lonely places. People can feel vulnerable and exposed if they believe their teammates don’t support their ideas or appreciate their work. These interpersonal struggles intensify for remote workers who lack the support of a nodding ally across the table.
Amid the increased importance of workplace equality and allyship and the growing loneliness and isolation among virtual teams, it’s never been more critical that leaders create psychological safety among their teams.
Workers who feel that they can freely raise concerns, questions and ideas without repercussion are benefiting from psychological safety. Psychological safety pays off in increased creativity, trust and productivity among a team and is the single most important quality that determines a team’s success.
Here are six ways leaders can create psychological safety for their teams.
Psychological Safety
1. Listen to understand
Active listening is a hallmark trait of psychological safety. Too often leaders selectively listen for information that reinforces their view or strengthens their argument.
2. Speak last
When leaders share their thoughts about a topic and then ask for the team’s opinion, it’s too late.
3. Identify blind spots together
When leaders invite others into helping identify blind spots, it’s an admission to not having all the answers.
4. Productively address problems
Instead of blaming or expressing frustration when a team member brings up a problem, instead be appreciative of their insight and dedication to solving the problem.
5. Connect contributions to value
Humans have an innate desire for their contributions to be valued by the community. For centuries humans have found safety in numbers.
6. Switch video on and off
Seeing people’s faces during a video call can create engagement and provide helpful visual cues and non-verbal agreement.
Article written by Ryan Jenkins a Millennial generational speaker
However, it’s challenging for leaders to create psychological safety, because by virtue of their role they have power, and power is a barrier to psychological safety. In order to counterbalance the weight of their powerful role, leaders have to go out of their way to intentionally and strategically build psychological safety.
Speaker Listing
Further articles you may enjoy:
- (2)
IT’S A NORMAL DAY ON ALIWAL SHOAL. ABOVE TWENTY DEGREES CELSIUS, BLUE WATER WITH SMALL PARTICLES, A LITTLE BIT OF A CURRENT PUSHING, WE DRIFT ALONG WITH IT, WAITING FOR THE SHARKS… (THIS IS THE STORY OF MY FIRST EVER FREEDIVE WITH SHARKS) It’s a clear blue sky, warm air and a slight breeze- winter […]
- December 8, 2022
- (16)
Celebrating African American History Month: A Spotlight on Black Keynote Speakers and Their Impact February is a month dedicated to honoring the rich heritage, achievements, and contributions of African Americans. African American History Month, also known as Black History Month, serves as a poignant reminder of the struggles, triumphs, and resilience of the African American […]
- January 31, 2024
- (14)
Speakers Who Spark Growth — Reignite Purpose. Re-frame Possibility. Realign Potential. As the season changes and the world blossoms into spring, it’s the perfect time for organizations to refresh their mindset, refocus their goals, and re-energize their teams. Growth—whether personal, professional, or organizational—starts with the right spark. And that spark often comes from hearing the […]
- March 30, 2025
- (1)
Branding Benefits Professional Women in leadership roles manage their Personal Brands on a daily basis; and they started focusing on creating theirs early-on in their careers. Why do they focus on Personal Branding? And why has it become such a hot topic in the workforce today? Smart women in business understand the basic concept that […]
- December 19, 2022
- (6)
Mastering the Art of a Business Emcee New York: Elevating Conferences with Speakers Inc In the bustling metropolis of New York, where innovation and business convergence are the heartbeat of the city, the role of a Business Emcee takes center stage. As a pivotal element in orchestrating conferences and corporate events, a skilled emcee plays […]
- March 1, 2024
- (28)
We are only as unified as our loneliest team or Disconnected Worker community members. No one is immune to feeling lonely at work — not even the outgoing top sales associate, the customer success representative that brings her dog into the office, or the charming vice president who always declines every happy hour invitation due to “overcommitments.” […]
- December 23, 2022
- (10)
Want Your Audience to Master the Art of Influence? Bring in a speaker who turns “maybe” into “yes.” Because in today’s world, negotiation isn’t just a skill—it’s survival to Master the Art of Influence. 💼 Whether it’s closing deals, navigating conflict, or leading with confidence, your audience needs to know how to negotiate like pros. […]
- April 14, 2025
- (4)
Chris Bertish Captains Log July, 2022 26° 50.56 N, 134° 27.03 W Pacific Ocean Storms of the mind / Taking the on-ramp – SuperHighway bound / First signs of the Trades or not! Decoy.. / De-stinkify day- Swim day / Tech issues- backups & redundancies / The gift -Mind & shape shifting / The shuffle! / […]
- December 21, 2022
