Psychological safety is the strongest known predictor of team performance — and one of the hardest things to build. Telling people “speak up” changes nothing if the last person who spoke up paid for it.
What actually works
- Leaders go first — admitting your own mistakes gives everyone else permission
- Reward the messenger — treat bad news as data, not disloyalty
- Structure the airtime — rounds and written input beat “any questions?”
- Follow through visibly — nothing kills candour faster than input that disappears
These practices run through the leadership modules of every CBS programme — because strategy only works if your organisation tells you the truth.