Is Psychological Safety Inconsistent With Candidness?

Psychological safety is no management fad.

Its role in improving performance is so critical that it has superpower status on the best teams.

The bottom line is this: When people believe they are protected from embarrassment, ridicule, and humiliation for what they say and do, they operate more openly and learn more actively.

A team environment that is psychologically safe encourages people to share their honest thoughts without worrying about harsh judgment or repercussions. Without the fear of rejection, people take interpersonal risks to admit their mistakes and share their concerns.

The end result is higher-quality conversations, decisions, and performance.

But creating psychological safety is not easy, and practicing it correctly requires leaders to distinguish between safety and comfort.

Contrary to popular misconception, a psychologically safe environment is not always a comfortable or agreeable domain. While it is always respectful, a psychologically safe discussion does not avoid disagreement, candidness, or passionate expression.

In fact, the most psychologically safe discussions occur when everyone feels they have the group’s permission to speak their mind, including the leaders.

This does not always look like a kind, caring, or comfortable conversation for a reason. It’s not.

What makes an environment or discussion psychologically safe is the freedom to be open and honest without the fear of negative evaluation or judgment. That doesn’t mean people will agree or hold themselves back from passionately expressing their views.

Psychological safety arises from the commitment leaders and peers have to learning from each other and finding shared understanding and meaning through dialogue.

Safety is demonstrated and created with each group interaction that is free of disrespect, evaluation, and contempt. People who take interpersonal risks to speak up are rewarded for their honesty by being heard, included, and respected.

When asking questions, admitting mistakes, expressing agreement and disagreement, and sharing hard truths are met with inquiry and curiosity, rather than dismay and judgment, then safety exists.

A climate of safety elevates openness, learning, and quality decision-making because it rewards candidness, not because it constrains it.

As good leaders know, psychological safety has nothing to do with job security, the acceptance of unpopular decisions, or holding people accountable. It has everything to do with people knowing that speaking up is expected but free of negative consequences.

Psychologically safe environments are candid places where comfort is replaced with a permission to express ideas freely and where every viewpoint is valued for its honesty.

Too many leaders believe that kindness, support, and niceness create psychologically safe environments. Instead, they often get in the way of learning together.