Psychological safety—the belief that one can speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear of punishment or humiliation—is a cornerstone of high-performing teams and healthy relationships.
Dr. Amy Edmondson, a renowned Harvard leadership professor, is at the forefront of this field, demonstrating how environments of trust and open communication drive innovation, learning, and resilience. In the workplace and beyond, psychological safety empowers individuals to contribute fully, collaborate honestly, and grow from failure.
Without it, even the most talented teams can falter, silenced by fear and self-protection.
As Winston Churchill said, “Success is stumbling from failure to failure with no loss of enthusiasm.” When people don’t invest the effort to learn from their mistakes, they’re missing the opportunity to go on to success.
· High performers tend to be willing (perhaps not comfortable, but willing) to talk about and learn from their mistakes.
“Failing well” requires a willingness to tolerate failure along the way to success.
If people in your organization don’t feel safe in speaking up, no matter how smart they are you can’t get the benefit from their smarts.
1. What can you do to help create an environment in your organization in which people feel safe in calling out the “elephants in the room” and challenging the status quo?
What are some “unwritten rules” in your organization that might be a threat to people’s psychological safety? What can you do to help replace danger with safety?
What can you do, personally, to make it safe for people to challenge your thinking on important workplace issues? What about at home?
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