How to Create a Safe Space for Vulnerability at Work

“My door is always open” means nothing if people are scared to walk through it. Most leaders think safety comes from rules and policies. But real safety? It’s built on trust, NOT fear. A high-performing team isn’t created by pressure it’s created by psychological safety. Let's break down what actually makes people feel safe at work: 1) Admit When You Don't Know ↳ Honesty builds more trust than pretending ↳ "I don't know, but I'll find out" is strength, not weakness ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They model curiosity instead of faking expertise 2) Welcome Questions Like They're Gold ↳ Innovation thrives when people aren't afraid to ask ↳ "That's a great question" opens doors to breakthroughs ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They praise curiosity instead of shutting it down 3) Address the Elephant in the Room ↳ Avoiding tough topics breeds anxiety ↳ Speaking up first sets the tone for honesty ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They initiate difficult conversations, not wait for problems to explode 4) Take the First Step in Vulnerability ↳ Fear of speaking up is real—so go first ↳ Acknowledge mistakes openly ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They own their failures so their team feels safe to do the same 5) Shield Your Team from Unnecessary Chaos ↳ Great leaders filter noise, not amplify it ↳ Protect your people from pointless stress ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They buffer distractions instead of passing them down 6) Encourage Healthy Disagreement ↳ Safe workplaces aren't conflict-free—they handle it well ↳ Show that challenging ideas isn't dangerous—it's valuable ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They normalize debating ideas without personal attacks 7) Give Permission to Recharge ↳ Burnout happens when rest feels risky ↳ Encourage stepping away to come back stronger ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They take breaks themselves to show it's not just allowed, but expected 8) Listen Before Fixing ↳ Not every problem needs an instant solution ↳ Sometimes, people just need to be heard ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They ask "Tell me more" before jumping to problem-solve 9) Own Your Bad Days Without Spreading Them ↳ A leader's mood sets the tone ↳ Acknowledge tough days without offloading them ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They self-regulate instead of spreading negativity 10) Give Credit Loudly, Take Blame Quietly ↳ Safe teams know they won't be thrown under the bus ↳ Publicly celebrate efforts, privately handle mistakes ✅ How great leaders do this daily: They make team recognition a habit, not a one-time event A safe workplace leads to: - Bold ideas - Honest conversations - A culture of trust Most leaders will keep leading with fear. The best leaders choose trust. Start by asking your team: “What helps you feel safe to share your ideas?” 👇 Drop your thoughts in the comments! — ♻️ Repost to help other leaders build safer workplaces. ➕ Follow Sandra Pellumbi for more 🦉

Recently a colleague asked me, “Laura, how are you able to get a group of complete strangers to bond so quickly?” It made me pause and reflect on my approach. Creating a strong bond among individuals is rooted in fostering psychological safety, shared experiences, and vulnerability. Here are some strategies I employ: 1. Establish a Shared Purpose Early On: - Define the group's purpose clearly. - Focus on the intention behind the gathering, promoting authenticity over perfection. 2. Initiate Vulnerability-Based Icebreakers: - Dive beyond surface-level introductions by asking meaningful questions: - "What's a personal achievement you're proud of but haven't shared with the group?" - "What challenge are you currently facing, big or small?" - "What truly motivated you to join us today?" These questions encourage genuine connections by fostering openness and humanity. 3. Engage in Unconventional Activities Together: - Bond through unique experiences such as: - Light physical activities (get outside and take a walk) or team challenges. - Creative endeavors like collaborative projects or improvisation. - Reflective exercises such as guided meditations followed by group reflections. 4. Facilitate "Small Circle" Conversations: - Encourage deeper discussions in smaller groups before sharing insights with the larger group. - Smaller settings often lead to increased comfort, paving the way for more profound interactions in larger settings. 5. Normalize Authentic Communication: - Lead by example as a facilitator or leader by sharing genuine and unexpected thoughts. - Setting the tone for open dialogue encourages others to follow suit. 6. Highlight Common Ground: - Acknowledge shared themes and experiences after individual shares. - Recognize patterns like shared pressures, transitions, or identity struggles to unify the group. 7. Incorporate Group Rituals: - Commence or conclude sessions with grounding rituals like breathwork, gratitude circles, one on one share. In what ways have you been able to create cohesion quickly amongst a group of individuals in a training session? #fasttracktotrust #humanconnection #facilitatedconnection

Healthcare teams work in environments where every decision matters and uncertainty is constant. The most effective teams have figured out how to create spaces where people feel safe to speak up, ask questions, and acknowledge what they don't know. Start with Curiosity Strong teams approach problems with genuine curiosity. When something goes wrong, the question becomes "What can we learn?" rather than "Who's responsible?" This shift in language creates permission for honest reflection. Make Learning Visible Leaders who share their own learning moments - the cases that challenged them, the decisions they'd make differently, the questions they're still exploring - show that growth is ongoing for everyone. Vulnerability from leadership creates safety for the entire team. Protect the Voice of Doubt In high-pressure situations, the person who asks "Wait, are we sure about this?" might be saving lives. Teams that value these moments of pause create space for crucial safety checks. Design for Multiple Perspectives Pre-shift huddles, post-case debriefs, and regular check-ins ensure that insights from all team members can surface naturally. Every role brings unique observations. Respond to Mistakes with Systems Thinking When errors occur, psychologically safe teams examine the conditions that contributed rather than focusing solely on individual actions. This prevents future mistakes while maintaining trust. Teams that feel safe to voice concerns, ask questions, and share uncertainties discover innovations and improvements that more guarded teams miss entirely.

🔷 Career Corner Insight: Creating Psychological Safety in Teams 🔷 What makes a team truly high-performing isn’t just skill—it’s trust. And at the heart of trust lies psychological safety. It’s the foundation that allows people to ask hard questions, admit mistakes, propose bold ideas, and show up as their full selves—without fear of humiliation or punishment. In healthcare and technology especially, where innovation, precision, and collaboration intersect, the ability to speak up can be the difference between solving a challenge or staying silent and stuck. So how do leaders create psychological safety? It starts with intention: 🔸 Model vulnerability from the top. Leaders who say “I don’t know” or “I got that wrong” set the tone for openness. If you want candor from your team, show them it’s safe to be human. My mea culpa often begins with "Oops...." where it is framed appropriately based on the situation and takes full accountability for a result. The level of "Oops..." may vary, yet consistently is owned and sets up the team to share theirs too. 🔹 Reward curiosity—not just results. Encourage your team to ask questions, test ideas, and explore new approaches—even if they don’t lead to immediate wins. Innovation grows where risk-taking is respected. Incrementalism or "base hits" as I prefer to note, stack up quickly and can lead to a winning environment as it is the constant pursuit of improvement that makes an incredible impact. 🔸 Address breakdowns with empathy. When mistakes happen (and they will), shift the lens from blame to learning. Make it about process improvement, not personal fault. This builds trust and resilience. It also fosters camaraderie as people lean into one another for their expertise and are willing to share what they don't know as freely as what they do know, and it benefits everyone in terms of where there may be collective gaps and abundance to build upon. Creating psychological safety isn’t a one-time leadership tactic—it’s a culture you cultivate daily. And - it starts with you! Bonus insight: Google’s landmark Project Aristotle study found that the #1 predictor of high-performing teams wasn’t skill or experience—it was psychological safety: the ability to take risks and be vulnerable without fear of embarrassment or punishment. 💬 How are you building environments where your team feels safe to take risks and speak up?

Your team’s small frustrations are silent alarms. If you ignore them, they become exits 👇 1️⃣ Listen beneath the words ↳ Discontent often hides in tone, pauses, or side comments. 2️⃣ Prioritize emotional check-ins ↳ Ask, “How are you really doing?”—and listen fully. 3️⃣ Encourage honesty without penalty ↳ People won’t share problems if honesty gets punished. 4️⃣ Respond with action, not defensiveness ↳ Show that raising concerns leads to change. 5️⃣ Identify patterns of disengagement ↳ Apathy is often a symptom of ignored frustrations. 6️⃣ Balance empathy with boundaries ↳ Validate feelings, but hold accountability. 7️⃣ Mentor through challenges early ↳ Coaching in real time prevents small stumbles from becoming failures. 8️⃣ Ensure psychological safety ↳ Your people must feel safe to bring small concerns forward. 9️⃣ Model vulnerability ↳ Share your own past mistakes and lessons learned. 🔟 Celebrate course corrections ↳ Normalize adjusting early instead of waiting for breakdowns. When you take small problems seriously, you show people they matter. ❓ What’s one small problem you fixed early that made a big impact? ♻️ Share this as a reminder: small issues grow if ignored. 👋 Follow me (Dr. Chris Mullen) if you want to build stronger, more resilient teams.

Psychological safety is the # 1 predictor of team success. Here are 5 steps to build it together: We’ve all felt it:  The hesitation to speak up. The worry that our ideas won’t be welcomed. Imagine a workplace where that fear doesn’t exist – Where everyone feels safe, respected, and valued. Building this culture is a shared effort. 5 Steps to Build Psychological Safe Teams for Managers (M) and Employees (E) together: 1️⃣ Lead with Vulnerability ↳ M: Share your mistakes openly. Show it’s okay. ↳ E: Be honest about needing help or making an error. 💡This builds trust and signals openness. 2️⃣ Encourage Open Dialogue ↳ M: Create spaces where all ideas are welcome. ↳ E: Share your perspective and support colleagues'. 💡Make it clear that all input is valued. 3️⃣ Promote Growth from Mistakes ↳ M: Frame mistakes as learning opportunities. ↳ E: Own mistakes and share what you’ve learned. 💡Embrace feedback and reflect as a team to grow. 4️⃣ Respect and Value All Voices ↳ M: Use round-robins to ensure everyone can speak. ↳ E: Encourage quieter members to share their ideas. 💡Respect and listen actively. 5️⃣ Celebrate Wins and Milestones Together ↳ M: Recognize individual contributions. ↳ E: Celebrate both your wins and your teammates'. 💡Celebrate both big and small achievements. Google's Project Aristotle concluded: Psyc. Safety is the # 1 predictor of team's success. When people feel safe to take risks, share ideas, and ask questions without fear, performance skyrockets. What other ways help create psychological safety on a team? Drop your thoughts in the comments! _______ ♻️ Repost to help others build successful teams. 📌 For more actionable insights, follow Jorge Luis Pando

The secret to building resilient, long-lasting teams? Establishing safe spaces. A safe space doesn’t just mean an absence of judgment — it means a work space that lets people be their authentic self, share ideas and express concerns freely. But what does psychological safety at work actually look like in practice? And why does it matter? 1️⃣Setting the Intention Start with the simplest, most impactful way: say it aloud. Obvious? Yes, but explicitly saying it tells your team that they are in a space where their voice matters, where they can speak their mind. When your team feels safe, they’re more likely to contribute to solutions that are creative & innovative. 2️⃣Leaders Go First Vulnerability builds trust. Admit when you make mistakes. Share your struggles. By showing that you’re fallible, you give others the permission to do the same. This ensures open communication without the fear of being judged. 3️⃣What Went Wrong >> Not Who Did It Mistakes happen. More so in high pressure, high stakes work spaces. But by focussing on solving the problem, on identifying gaps & improving processes instead of shaming people, you ensure that people come to you with issues, before those issues become larger problems. 4️⃣Rip the Band-Aid  While celebrating wins is important, creating a safe space also means encouraging your team to surface bad news quickly, without fearing repercussions. Teams that tackle bad news head-on & early, become more agile and are better equipped at solving complex problems. 5️⃣Let People Course Correct If someone on your team makes a mistake, give them the opportunity to make it right. This doesn’t just build trust, it builds their confidence. When your team members feel that they can be trusted to fix their mistakes, they feel valued & perform better in the long-term. Safe spaces aren’t just nice-to-haves—they’re critical for teams looking to excel under high-pressure. #Leadership #PsychologicalSafety #WorkplaceCulture 

The stories we tell ourselves are sabotaging our teams. This is because, to quote Anaïs Nin, "we don't see things as they are, we see them as we are." When someone challenges your idea in a meeting, what's your first thought? They're undermining you? They don't respect your expertise? Or they're genuinely trying to help? 🤔 Your answer reveals more about your past experiences than their actual intentions—and it's shaping whether your team feels safe to speak up. Here's the truth: we filter everything through our personal history. Someone who was once humiliated for asking questions will interpret a raised eyebrow very differently than someone who grew up debating over dinner. This matters because psychological safety isn't just about what leaders say; it's about what each person believes is true based on their own lens. Here are 3 ways to build psychological safety that actually work: ✨ 1. NAME THE FILTERS openly. Start meetings with: "We all interpret feedback differently. If something I say lands wrong, please tell me. I want to learn how my words are being received." Give people permission to surface their interpretations instead of suffering in silence. 2. REWARD THE BEHAVIOR you actually want! Don't just say you want people to speak up; actively celebrate when someone disagrees with you or points out a problem. Make it visible that challenging ideas leads to recognition, not retaliation. 3. GET CURIOUS ABOUT REACTIONS. When someone seems defensive, pause and ask: "What might their past experience be telling them about this moment?" Instead of assuming that they're being "difficult," try responding to their underlying concern. The goal isn't to eliminate our filters; it's to create enough safety that people can risk being vulnerable despite what their past experiences are whispering. What stories might your team be telling themselves about speaking up? #PsychologicalSafety #CourageousConversations #HumanCenteredLeadership #SpeakUpCulture _______ 🌈 I’m a leadership coach, speaker, and culture strategist who champions courageous conversations and communities rooted in care. 🗣 I write about what it means to lead with empathy, connect across difference, and fight for justice in our workplaces and beyond. ✨ If this post moved you or made you think, please share it. Let’s grow these conversations together. 🔔 Follow me and tap the bell to stay connected with future reflections and resources. 🤝 Curious about working together? Let’s connect. I’d love to explore how I can support your team or event.