Creating Safe Spaces for Honest Conversations

Have you ever felt the need to bite your tongue at work, fearing that what you say could lead to punishment or humiliation? It’s a common scenario but one we need to change urgently for greater and healthier workplaces.  En español diríamos: te muerdes la lengua y te envenenas... de todo lo que tienes guardado y no has podido contar. #1:Understand What Psychological Safety Is Psychological safety, a concept introduced by Harvard Business School professor Amy Edmondson, is the belief that team members can take risks, express ideas and concerns, speak up with questions, and admit mistakes without fear of negative consequences. I became obsessed with it while working at Google and being a spokesperson about creating high performing teams. Remember, it’s not about being overly nice (I talked about toxic positivity last week) ; it’s about fostering authenticity and trust within the team. #2: Recognize Its Importance Psychological safety is crucial for sound decision-making, innovation, and operational efficiency. Why? Because when people feel safe, they engage more, share their creative ideas, and contribute to the team’s collective intelligence. Examples: - Imagine a team where members feel empowered to point out potential risks in a project. This openness can prevent costly errors and lead to better outcomes. - Think about a brainstorming session where no idea is too wild or far-fetched. This creates a breeding ground for groundbreaking innovations. #3: Implement Practical Steps to Foster Psychological Safety Creating a psychologically safe environment isn't a one-off task; it's an ongoing commitment. Some best practices I can recommend: - Encourage Open Communication: Make it clear that every voice matters. Regular feedback sessions and open-door policies can help. - Lead by Example: Show vulnerability as a leader. Admit your own mistakes and ask for feedback. It signals to your team that it’s okay to be human. This is the most difficult, I know. You might need your therapist to help you out. 😂 - Prioritize Employee Input: Actively seek and value your team’s input and suggestions. It demonstrates that their perspectives are essential for the company’s success. Now it’s your turn. Take these steps and start creating a safe space for your team to thrive. Let’s make it happen. What strategies have you used to foster psychological safety in your team? Share your experiences in the comments below! If you found this article helpful, don’t forget to like and share it with your network. #Leadership #TeamBuilding #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture #Innovation

Recently, a CEO client came to me frustrated. Despite having highly experienced leaders, mission-critical decisions kept getting sidelined. The elephant in the room was growing but no one was talking about it. The challenge? Slow progress because personal opinions were turning into Win/Lose. Here’s what we did to break the cycle: 1. Naming the Elephant We crafted a powerful opening statement for his next meeting: "Let's talk about the elephant that's been hanging out in the parking lot." But before the meeting, we established two critical agreements with the team: - These critical issues are a top priority that need resolution. - Clear expectations for open dialogue, ensuring that all concerns—yes, even the uncomfortable ones—are acknowledged and heard. As a CEO, true leadership isn’t about having all the answers. It’s about building a team brave enough to hear and validate different points of view. 2. Generative Conversations Next, he introduced something I shared with him: Generative Conversations. Now, every statement must be followed with "the reason I'm saying this is..." This small shift opened up entirely new possibilities. The team discovered they could move beyond "all or nothing, this or that" thinking. Solutions emerged that honored multiple perspectives - what I call "both/and" thinking rather than an "either/or" deadlock. 3. Fist to Five Voting After setting the stage for open and honest discussions, he introduced a simple yet effective voting technique to bring clarity and transparency to team alignment: Fist: No way One finger: Need to talk Two: Have reservations Three: I'm okay with it Four: Sounds good Five: Total agreement The result? Issues stuck for months started moving forward. The team discovered that what looked like opposition was often just unexpressed concerns. Remember: Your role as a CEO or executive leader isn't to avoid conflict—it's to create conditions where necessary conflicts become productive. How many elephants are sitting in your parking lot?

Last week, I had the privilege of facilitating a three-day leadership training for all the managers and directors of a local government agency. The day our training began, I received heartbreaking news: a family friend had died by suicide as a result of a workplace issue. The tragedy was a gut-wrenching reminder that what happens inside our organizations—and inside our people—matters deeply. It reinforced why I begin almost every leadership training with the foundation of the Step into Your Moxie® Vocal Empowerment System: developing a strong Inner Voice. When leaders don’t understand or tend to their own inner dialogue—or the voices that dominate their team members’ internal narratives—employee engagement, performance, and well-being suffer. Sometimes, the consequences are far worse. So, in this training, we lingered longer than usual on self-talk. We explored: What voices hold the mic in your head, especially during uncomfortable moments? How does that internal chatter show up in communication and leadership with team members? What do you think the people you lead say to themselves, especially when they make a mistake, receive feedback, or feel overwhelmed? And then we got practical. When we transitioned into a module on coaching direct reports through a performance improvement plan, we began with empathy mapping. Because we had spent time building intrapersonal awareness, participants were able to go deeper, to look past surface-level behaviors and identify fears, assumptions, and narratives driving their employees’ actions. We talked about how to do this in the real world, especially during 1-on-1s and more formal coaching moments. We talked about how to take these insights into everyday leadership. Participants identified the importance of: -Beginning 1-on-1s with a genuine check-in—asking how people are really doing, and gently probing when someone’s initial answer feels surface-level. -Shifting from “How do I fix this?” to “Where does this person need support?”—and staying open to the idea that what people most need may not be more training or resources, but to feel seen and heard. -Removing isolation and building trust—by creating consistent space for honest dialogue, leaders reduce stigma and strengthen the foundation for positive mental health at work. When leaders prioritize presence over perfection—and connection over correction—they help rewrite the internal narratives that so often go unchecked. This is how we create cultures where people not only perform better, but also feel safer, stronger, and more human at work. Because sometimes, the most powerful leadership skill we have is helping someone shift the voice that says they’re not enough or that they’re alone as they navigate tough times.

It’s easy to talk about it, but how can you ‘be about it’? A week or so ago, I shared my thoughts around #cybersecurity culture eating strategy for breakfast. The talk. But how do you actually shift culture? The being. One tool that can make a real difference 👉🏾skip levels. For those unfamiliar, skip levels are meetings where leadership “skips over” managers/leaders/supervisors to connect directly with their teams. These conversations provide insight into what’s really happening on the ground, beyond what’s filtered through the chain of command. No, this isn’t a silver bullet—there’s no single fix for culture. But when done with intention, skip levels can be a powerful tool. Here’s how you can ‘be about it’ with skip levels: 1️⃣ Create spaces for honesty. Small groups, no managers, no fear of repercussions. Make it safe for people to speak freely and actually feel heard. 2️⃣ Focus on solutions. Encourage people to share challenges and ideas. Real change happens when conversations lead to actionable steps. 3️⃣ Circle back. Don’t just collect feedback—show how it led to action, or explain why something can’t change. Transparency builds trust. 4️⃣ Make it a habit. Support leaders in doing the same and embedding these conversations into their leadership style. It’s not a one-and-done. It’s easy to talk about listening, but building trust and driving change requires action. What’s your take? Are skip-level conversations happening where you work? If so, do people feel like they can be candid and open? If not, what’s standing in the way?

"𝘐𝘵 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘮𝘴 𝘢 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺." — Walt Disney The irony? Sometimes leaders crush those dreams while trying to protect them. I learned this the hard way at Disney Consumer Products, leading global teams at one of the world's most beloved brands... Our engagement scores were strong. People seemed to speak up in meetings. We even had "Collaboration and Communication" as core values, inspired by Walt's legacy of creative fearlessness. But one conversation shattered my illusion. A brave team member from our LGBTQ+ community pulled me aside after a global all-hands: "Jim, we don't feel safe. We feel 𝘵𝘰𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥." "Some people feel seen, but many of us feel invisible." That hit me like a ton of bricks. Here I was, leading creative teams at Disney—where imagination and authentic expression should thrive—and I'd created merely the 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 of safety, not the reality. Recent Harvard Business Review research confirms most leaders get psychological safety wrong. Here are the costly misconceptions I learned at Disney: 🔍 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗽𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 When "Disney nice" becomes more important than honest dialogue, you've created artificial harmony. Even in the House of Mouse, real safety means embracing productive tension. 🔍 𝗠𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗹𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗴𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 In our product reviews, silence didn't mean alignment—it meant fear. True safety generates passionate debate about design, story, and innovation. 🔍 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗯𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗮𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗽𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 "You can tell me anything" becomes meaningless when followed by defensive leadership. I learned this the hard way in countless creative reviews. 🔍 𝗔𝘀𝘀𝘂𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗮𝗳𝗲𝘁𝘆 𝗶𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗹 At Disney, I saw how safety wasn't experienced equally. Our global teams across Asia, Europe, and the Americas needed different signals of safety based on their cultural contexts. The radically kind alternative I learned: 🧡 𝗡𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 🧡 𝗥𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗶𝘀𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 🧡 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗰𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗼𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗿𝗴𝘂𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝘀 🧡 𝗠𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗯𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝗼 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗽𝗲𝗻𝘀 The most psychologically safe cultures aren't built with slogans or surveys. They're built by leaders with the courage to hear hard truths, respond with gratitude rather than defense, and take visible action, even at beloved brands like Disney where the pressure to maintain a "perfect" image is intense. What misconception about psychological safety have you had to unlearn? Please share below ⬇️