10 Mar 2025
Have you ever been in a meeting where you hesitated to share an idea, worried it might sound silly? Or avoided admitting a mistake because you feared the consequences? If so, you’ve experienced what it’s like not to have psychological safety. But what exactly is psychological safety, and why does it matter for workplace culture, leadership, and team performance? What Is Psychological Safety? Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes—without fear of blame or embarrassment. It’s about fostering a work environment where people feel valued, heard, and empowered to contribute their best ideas. Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson coined the term while researching hospital teams. Interestingly, she found that the best teams didn’t necessarily make fewer mistakes—they were just more open about discussing them. This willingness to share and learn led to better teamwork, innovation, and overall success. “It’s felt permission for candor.” – Amy Edmondson You can read more about her insights in the Harvard Business Review article: What Is Psychological Safety? Why Does Psychological Safety Matter in the Workplace? Research, including Google’s Project Aristotle, shows that psychological safety is the most important factor in high-performing teams—more important than skills, experience, or team structure. When employees feel psychologically safe, they: ✔️ Share ideas openly, leading to more creativity and problem-solving ✔️ Learn from mistakes instead of hiding them ✔️ Feel engaged and valued, improving morale and retention ✔️ Make better decisions, because diverse perspectives are welcomed Without psychological safety, teams risk low engagement, high stress, poor decision-making, and a fear-based culture—none of which lead to long-term success. How Can Leaders Create Psychological Safety? Building a psychologically safe workplace doesn’t happen overnight, but leaders can take practical steps to create a culture where people feel supported and empowered: ✅ Encourage openness – Ask questions like What are your thoughts? or How do you see this situation? ✅ Model vulnerability – Admit mistakes and show that learning from failure is part of growth. ✅ Respond positively – Replace blame with curiosity: What did we learn? instead of Who’s at fault? ✅ Show that every voice matters – Recognise contributions and ensure quieter team members are heard. Common Myths About Psychological Safety 🚫 “It’s just about being nice.” No! In fact, some “nice” workplaces lack psychological safety because people are too polite to challenge ideas. True psychological safety means honest, constructive discussions—even when it’s uncomfortable. 🚫 “It’s about making people feel comfortable all the time.” Not quite. Growth, learning, and innovation can be uncomfortable, but in a way that builds confidence rather than fear. Creating a Culture of Trust and Learning At Understood, we specialise in leadership development, workplace culture, and team performance training. If you want to build a high-performing, psychologically safe workplace, our bespoke training programmes can help your leaders and teams develop the skills to thrive in today’s workplace. 💡 Want to create a culture where employees feel safe to speak up and innovate? Let’s talk! Contact us today to learn how we can help.

Have you ever been in a meeting where you hesitated to share an idea, worried it might sound silly? Or avoided admitting a mistake because you feared the consequences? If so, you’ve experienced what it’s like not to have psychological safety. But what exactly is psychological safety, and why…

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16 Sep 2024
Mini board with post its promoting adapting a new mindset and positive results

At Understood, we believe in the power of growth. Our training programmes are built on the belief that growth and development are key to success. One of the most compelling ideas that supports this belief comes from psychologist Carol Dweck’s book, Mindset. Dweck explains that how we view our…

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18 Feb 2024

The other day, a visit to the hairdresser got me thinking about customer experience and the value of our time. It made me question: How should companies handle situations where a customer is dissatisfied with their product or service? Is a refund or a redo enough to compensate for…

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22 Sep 2023

Distraction is something we all wrestle with – even the most motivated among us. It can strike during a conversation, leaving you adrift in thought…or when you sit down to tackle an essential task, only to find yourself lost in hours of internet scrolling. In “Stolen Focus,” Johann Hari…

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02 Aug 2023

Would you like to learn how to regulate your emotions? Well, it’s a skill that can be learned with practice. Inspired by Leonard Mlodinow’s book Emotional: How Feelings Shape Our Thinking, it starts with understanding how to accept, reframe, and express your feelings.  Step 1: ACCEPT Accept your circumstances. Focus on…

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19 Dec 2022

In the workplace, there’s a clear-cut difference between ‘hard’ and ‘soft’ skills. Hard skills are the technical, tangible ones: knowing a foreign language, graphic design, bookkeeping etc. Soft skills are abilities that combine interpersonal strengths, common sense, personality and people skills. Although harder to define, measure, quantify, and assess,…

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21 Oct 2022

Where do your suppliers rank in your customer experience pecking order? Do they receive the same level of TLC as you shower upon those who purchase your products/services? Do you respond to their emails as promptly and politely as you would to an email sent to you by your…

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28 Sep 2022

Welcome back to our three-part series on communication. In our last blog post, we talked about how our poor conversational habits (e.g. judging, sending solutions and avoidance) can create communication ‘roadblocks’.  This time, we’ll discuss how you can improve communication by using active and reflective listening. Let’s dive into…

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20 May 2022

What are the skills and characteristics of a fantastic customer service employee? What does it take to survive and thrive in the role? It’s certainly not an easy gig – dealing with an increasingly demanding public, day in, day out. But it’s a role that’s valuable and highly rewarding…

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10 Dec 2021

In our previous two blog posts we looked at the power of habits. We now understand why we’re creatures of habit and how habits can play a significant role in shaping organisational culture. In both articles we looked at Charles Duhigg’s habit loop involving the cue, the routine and…

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