If your team isn’t speaking up, it’s not a motivation problem—it’s a safety one.
Imagine a team room so quiet you can hear the tap of nervous fingers on keyboards. That’s not harmony; that’s fear. And nothing high-performance comes out of fear. It comes out of trust. Here is how to build it:
1. Go First
Vulnerability cascades, but only if you’re brave enough to model it. Start meetings with something you got wrong this week—and what you learned. Got locked out of the house before work? Couldn’t find your glasses, and they were on your head? Doesn’t need to be dramatic. Just real.
2. Respond > React
Your first reaction when someone speaks up teaches them if they should do it again. Jump in mid-sentence? Watch the room go quiet. Instead: Pause. Listen. Thank them. It takes seconds, but rewires the room.
3. Normalize Not Knowing
Questions aren’t incompetence. They’re clarity in progress. Celebrate them. Ask them yourself. If no one’s asking “why?” or “what if?”—it’s not focus. It’s fear.
4. Don’t Let Silence Fool You
Silent Zoom = hesitant team. Don’t misread stillness as alignment. Ask by name. Invite takes. Follow up offline. Example: “I noticed you held back in that discussion. Curious to hear what you really think.” Most truth gets spoken outside the meeting. Make space for that.
5. Feedback Goes Both Ways
You’re not a feedback machine. You’re a system. Ask this quarterly: “What’s one thing I could be doing better for you?” Then do it. Quietly. Consistently. You’ll signal that feedback isn’t a threat. It’s a tool.
The Standard
Psychological safety isn’t a vibe. It’s an operating condition. It’s built through repeated behavior, not slide decks. And it’s the difference between teams that perform—and teams that protect themselves. Keep it bold. Keep it clear. Keep it safe.
Life is lived
- Willy