How Safe is Your Team? Assess and Improve Psychological Safety
A leader's guide to measuring and strengthening team trust
Do your team members feel comfortable challenging ideas and admitting mistakes? Or do they tread carefully, guarding their thoughts and concerns? Recognizing these behaviors is crucial for understanding the level of psychological safety within your team.
What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety is the belief that you won't be punished or humiliated for speaking up with ideas, questions, concerns, or mistakes. In a business setting, it means creating an environment where every team member feels comfortable sharing their thoughts without fear of negative consequences. It's essential for fostering innovation, collaboration, and growth, especially in technical teams where complex challenges require diverse perspectives and open dialogue.
Without psychological safety, even the most skilled teams struggle. Members hide challenges, avoid asking for help, and miss out on collective expertise—ultimately stifling innovation and dampening efficiency.
Technical teams face unique challenges in building trust and psychological safety due to:
High Stakes & Rapid Pace: The push for innovation while minimizing errors discourages team members from acknowledging mistakes or sharing new ideas.
Hierarchies & Specialization: Rigid structures and deep specialization hinder open communication, making it hard for individuals to venture outside their areas of expertise.
Cultural Norms: The tech industry’s focus on data and logic may diminish the value of emotional intelligence and personal connections.
Fear of Vulnerability: A culture that prizes precision and expertise often makes it challenging for team members to discuss mistakes or uncertainties openly.
Acknowledging these factors is the first step toward building a culture where mistakes become learning opportunities, communication flows freely, and everyone feels empowered to contribute.
Take Action: Building a Psychologically Safe Environment
To foster a psychologically safe environment, try these three strategies:
Encourage Open Dialogue: Invite feedback and ideas during meetings. Show that all perspectives are valued by listening attentively and responding constructively.
Normalize Failure: Share setbacks and lessons learned to emphasize that mistakes are a natural part of innovation.
Clarify Expectations: Clearly communicate roles, responsibilities, and decision-making processes. Reducing uncertainty empowers confident contributions.
Once you understand the importance of psychological safety, the next step is finding out where your team stands. That's where the Psychological Safety Assessment Tool comes in.
The Psychological Safety Assessment Tool is designed to help leaders gauge their team's current level of psychological safety and identify actionable areas for improvement. Cultivating safety within a team is an ongoing practice, not a one-time event. This tool provides a structured way to assess and understand where your team stands.
How I Use It with My Teams and Clients
One of my clients, a CTO at a fast-growing tech company, used this tool after receiving some feedback that his tendency to tell rather than ask was reducing engagement. By intentionally learning and practicing techniques like active listening and curiosity, he created the conditions required for more engagement. Notably, he stretched beyond his comfort zone and into a place of vulnerability. He used the assessment to ask the right questions and spark conversations with his team about what they needed to feel safer expressing their ideas. Over time, his intentional behavioral shifts led to stronger team collaboration, increased innovation, and an overall boost in team performance.
Take the First Step
Ready to take action? Download the Psychological Safety Assessment worksheet to gauge you and your team’s current state and identify actionable steps to build trust and communication.
Building psychological safety is an ongoing journey and a core element of your leadership responsibilities. Book a 1:1 strategy session today—let's discuss how we can accelerate your leadership impact and create a thriving, high-performing team.