Your Shot of Fearless Culture #343: Psychological Safety Truisms

Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.

Psychological safety is often seen as the holy grail of team culture – the magic ingredient for team success.

But as with all buzzwords, we risk oversimplifying it.

We’ve all heard the truisms about psychological safety – leaders should always speak last, aim for equal participation, anonymity encourages honesty.

The truth is, many of the so-called “rules,” while well-intentioned, can backfire.

Truisms oversimplify complex issues because they lack context and nuance.

Truisms promote black-and-white thinking instead of recognizing that multiple, even contradictory, solutions can often coexist.

This week, we’re going to challenge some of the most common beliefs about psychological safety. Explore the resources and activities below.

Stay fearless, my friend.

Gustavo