The success of a team depends on their ability to collaborate and innovate. The key ingredient to their ability to perform at this level? Psychological safety.

Psychological safety is the shared belief among team members that they can take risks, make mistakes, and express themselves openly (while being respectful) without fear of damaging their relationships, reputations or job security. When team members feel psychologically safe, they become more engaged, productive and receptive to ideas that spark innovation and drive breakthroughs.

Behaviors that undermine psychological safety in teams include blame and criticism, dismissing new ideas, punishing mistakes, fostering unhealthy competition and tolerating microaggressions.

On the other hand, individuals on psychologically safe teams answer in the affirmative to statements like:

• Team members value and respect each other’s contributions.
• It’s easy to discuss difficult issues and problems with team members.
• Different views and communication styles are respected.
• Team members frequently seek help and support from one another.
• Everyone participates and shares ideas and opinions.
• Taking risks on this team is completely safe.

Without a sense of psychological safety, team members will be less likely to speak up, weigh in with new ideas, offer suggestions or raise potential concerns about a critical project. They are also more vulnerable to groupthink, where well-meaning individuals, driven by the desire to conform, make irrational or suboptimal decisions. This harms the team and stifles progress and innovation.

However, with a little bit of intentionality, leaders can boost the sense of psychological safety in their teams, and with it, enjoy its many benefits for creativity and productivity. Here are a few strategies and tips to train leaders on that can help boost psychological safety on their teams:

1. Prioritize your team’s mental well-being. Data from across five years of meQ’s State of the Workforce Studies show that managers who lead with empathy and prioritize team mental well-being have consistently better outcomes for turnover risk, burnout, anxiety and depression. The same holds for psychological safety.

Try this: You don’t have to be a therapist to prioritize team mental well-being. Try simple steps like holding regular one-on-one meetings focused on well-being, not just performance. Ask specific questions about workload, stress levels and support needs. Ensure that your company’s mental health resources are easily accessible, sharing information about counseling services, meditation apps or wellness programs available through the organization.

Figure 1 below shows the percentage of employees who responded to six factors that assess perceptions of psychological safety. Employees on teams where managers exhibit empathy have from 30-72% better ratings on measures of psychological safety than employees who feel less well supported by their managers (Figure 1).

Employee Perceptions of Psychological Safety by Degree of Manager Support

2. Model trust. Gallup data reveals that only 2% of employees who view their managers as unapproachable are engaged at work, while a staggering 65% are actively disengaged. When managers openly share their vulnerabilities, mistakes and self-doubts, they lay the groundwork for psychological safety, boosting team trust and engagement. Team members are more likely to practice trust-building behaviors when their manager leads by example. Everyone wants to feel respected, valued and that they belong. When managers model these behaviors, they foster an environment of acceptance and remind the team that we share more similarities than differences.

Try this: Share a past mistake and what you learned from it. Discuss a current challenge and ask for input. Throw out a bold idea to encourage the team to share riskier or more creative thoughts. Reflect on a time when you had to learn something new on the job for the first time.

3. Manage conflict. Respectfully addressing issues and differences is essential in creating a psychologically safe culture. As we know, confrontational situations often trigger strong emotional responses — whether it’s silence, tears, anger or even laughter. There are proven ways to navigate these moments that help build a safe environment and strengthen trust.

Try this: When someone on the team goes quiet, don’t interpret it as dismissiveness. They may be listening but unsure how to respond, afraid of saying something that could lead to consequences, or feeling overwhelmed and shutting down. Reassure them that you’re there to support, not to punish. Use open-ended questions to prompt discussion (e.g., “What happened today?”) and choose your words carefully to foster openness.

4. Enable collaboration. Creating a safe space for collaboration is another key to promoting psychological safety. Research shows that when everyone feels comfortable contributing, teams become more collaborative, creative and productive — often leading to breakthroughs.

Try this: To encourage participation, ask open-ended questions that invite input. Share observations neutrally, avoiding judgment. Embrace ideas without immediate criticism, creating an environment where everyone feels heard and valued.

Psychological safety develops through regular, positive interactions and consistent effort. How will you develop your leaders to build mental well-being, model trust, better manage conflict and enable collaboration?