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:
- (12)
Why Teams and Employees Resist Change: Understanding the Dynamics and Overcoming the Barriers Change is an inevitable force in the modern workplace. Companies restructure, policies shift, technologies evolve, and markets fluctuate. Despite change being constant, teams often respond with hesitation or even outright resistance. Leaders who fail to understand the root causes behind this resistance […]
- December 9, 2024
- (10)
Over the last four weeks, I’ve elaborated on what I call the Closing the Loop. You can find the articles here. This consists of: Step 1: Recognizing the Unsaid – Unspoken things in your culture’s organization to recognize that your people aren’t telling their entire truth. Step 2: Seeking to Understand – Leaning in to […]
- December 20, 2022
- (4)
Hispanic Heritage Month 2024, celebrated annually from September 15 to October 15, offers a unique opportunity to recognize the history, culture, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. This month-long celebration began as a week-long event in 1968, initiated by President Lyndon B. Johnson, and later expanded by President Ronald Reagan in 1988 to cover […]
- October 16, 2024
- (13)
How AI is Revolutionizing Customer Experience in the Workplace and in today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a cornerstone for enhancing customer experience (CX). As companies strive to exceed customer expectations, AI tools are proving indispensable in delivering personalized, efficient, and engaging services. Experts like Jay Baer, Dan Gingiss, Brittany Hodak, […]
- August 30, 2024
- (5)
10 Lessons Learned and the messages I want to share with all of you. At the end of last year, I made the awkward decision to leave the world that had given so much to me, to pursue something that wasn’t well defined, yet oddly was clearly the right path for me to take. After […]
- December 14, 2022
- (26)
Rocket Science Meets Real Life: Why Olympia LePoint Is the AI and Innovation Speaker You Didn’t Know You Needed In a world inundated with tech buzzwords and innovation hype, few voices cut through the noise with clarity, charisma, and credibility. Olympia LePoint does. A rocket scientist turned transformational keynote speaker, LePoint is redefining what it […]
- May 2, 2025
- (83)
Zion Clark Story as an awe-inspiring athlete and motivational speaker, has recently joined Speakers Inc as an exclusive keynote speaker for corporate events. His life story, a testament to unyielding resilience and indomitable spirit, serves as a beacon of inspiration for anyone facing seemingly insurmountable challenges. Zion Clark Story: A Tale of Unyielding Resilience Overcoming […]
- September 9, 2024
- (40)
In an era where customer expectations are higher than ever, many Retail Businesses Are Failing at Customer Service and experience. Despite technological advancements and increased competition, the quality of customer interactions has seen a noticeable decline. The Failing at Customer Service Quality Recent studies highlight a troubling trend: customer satisfaction is at a decade low. […]
- April 22, 2025
