New leaders must prioritise psychological safety
Why This Matters
Who is responsible for your safety at work?
No one comes to work expecting to find a risk of electrocution or trip hazards on staircases. There are clear expectations and responsibilities.
Except when it comes to psychological safety where the lines blur dramatically. 55% of American workers believe their employers overestimate how good mental health is within the workplace.
Just under half believe disclosure of a mental health condition would negatively affect their careers.
As you step into that next leadership role you have two very clear duties:
- To create psychological safety for your own people
- To create psychological safety for yourself
You can’t rely on this to be done for you. To be of any use and help to your team you must first learn to put your own oxygen mask on BEFORE helping others.
They tell you that for a reason. This article explores the why and how.
Why New Leaders Often Get This Wrong
Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson first coined the term Psychological Safety as a factor that is essential in high performing teams. You did want to lead a high performing team, right?
When you step into that new leadership role, the pressure is on to create results. Switch stuff up. Drive the team. But is that why you were hired?
Different roles have different missions. When you were hired, THEY had a mission in mind. You may not have figured that out from the job description but if you start off with the WRONG mission, you’ll struggle to make this role a success.
Michael Watkins created the STARS model to describe five different missions.
START-UP where you’ve been hired to create a new venture or offshoot
TURNAROUND where your mission is to solve a troubled division or organisation in serious likelihood of failure
ACCELERATED GROWTH where your mission is to drive and manage a rapidly expanding business
REALIGNMENT where market conditions and opportunities have changed, and the existing business must realign to maintain momentum
SUSTAINING keeping the organisation in its leading position, maintaining momentum and preparing for the next growth spurt.
What you need to do.
The people you’ll need to support you.
The decisions you’ll need to make.
All depend on knowing the mission. If you don’t know the mission, you cannot create psychological safety for yourself or your team.
Why new leaders don’t create the safety space they need
🔹 Fear of Speaking Up: You hesitate to share your ideas, worried they might not be “good enough.” You wonder if your team will judge your decisions or question your leadership.
🔹 Avoiding Difficult Conversations: Conflict feels uncomfortable, so you stay quiet rather than addressing issues head-on. You worry that pushing back might make you seem weak.
🔹 Seeking Approval Over Progress: You focus on being liked rather than leading with clarity and confidence. Instead of making tough decisions, you second-guess yourself, hoping to please everyone.
Psychological safety doesn’t mean everything is sweetness and light. In the case of a Turnaround mission, it’s almost inevitable that everyone on the team right now will not be there at the end of the journey.
But if you don’t know your mission, you risk misleading everyone, your team, your boss and yourself. Either you look incompetent and unknowing – not the best look in a new leader. Or duplicitous. Toss a coin, because both are terrible.
Psychological safety must start with your upward conversation. Many leaders fear this boss conversation because they worry that being the star new hire, they’re expected to already know everything.
Stand in the boss position and you’ve made a big bet on this new hire, the interview went well but you too are exposed for your decision and you’re going to be watching those first 30, 60 and 90 days with interest to see if what you saw is what you’ve got.
Without psychological safety people stay silent, innovation stalls, decision making gets put out to consensus. You don’t want that. So breaking this starts first with you and the contract you establish with your boss.
Coaching Insights: Shifting from Fear to Trust 🤝
Edmondson’s research shows that psychologically safe teams outperform others because members feel free to contribute without fear. If you’re stepping into a leadership role, your confidence in fostering this kind of environment sets the tone.
Break your 90 days into 30 day chunks. Use the first 30 to get the lay of the land and the mission at hand. You have the advantage of being new that’ll never come back. Start by modelling vulnerability. Admit when you don’t know, demonstrate curiosity and as for input.
Get a meeting in with your boss. Establish which kind of mission you’re expected to tackle and buy yourself some breathing space and support. Be proactive in establishing the reporting timelines with your boss so you retain control. But always either do what you say you’re going to or if it’s not working, chime up quickly.
And the best bit is that your team see everything you do. When your team sees you embracing growth, when your team see you modelling the 30, 60, 90 day model, they’ll either follow suit or accept this kind of structure as part of the new team.
Behaviours that build Psychological Safety 🎯
✅ Lead with Humility & Curiosity: Instead of feeling pressured to have all the answers, ask questions and listen actively. People feel valued when they know their input matters.
✅ Encourage Smart Risks: Set the expectation that mistakes are part of growth. Share a time you failed and what you learned—it shows your team that perfection isn’t the goal, progress is.
✅ Create a Feedback Culture: Make feedback a two-way street. Ask your team, “What’s one thing I could do to better support you?” Showing openness to their input builds trust.
✅ Foster Psychological Safety with Your Boss: Psychological safety isn’t just for your team—it’s crucial in your relationship with your boss.
Clarify Expectations Early: Ask, “What does success look like in my first 90 days?” This reduces uncertainty and builds alignment.
Be Transparent About Learning Curves: Instead of pretending to have it all figured out, say, “Here’s what I know, and here’s where I’d love your insights.” This positions you as a proactive learner.
Demonstrate Reliability: Follow through on commitments. Trust grows when your boss knows they can count on you to deliver and communicate proactively when challenges arise.
Use the BRAVER Framework to Foster Psychological Safety:
Believe in creating a safe space where people feel valued.
Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities rather than failures.
Actively listen and acknowledge contributions, making sure every voice is heard.
Validate team efforts and reinforce behaviours that encourage open dialogue.
Engage in transparent, honest conversations that build trust over time.
Reflect on your leadership style—are you creating safety or unintentionally causing fear?
The Evidence Behind Psychological Safety 📚
Research is on your side. What you feel isn’t isolated to you, research shows this is a normal arc for leaders stepping up into bigger roles.
Here are three of my favour resources so you can dig into this a bit further should you want.
🔹 Psychological Safety (Edmondson, 1999): Teams with higher psychological safety innovate more and achieve better results. When people feel safe, they take smart risks without fear of blame.
🔹 Growth Mindset (Dweck, 2006): Encouraging a growth mindset in your team fosters resilience and learning. When failure is seen as a stepping stone rather than a dead-end, people push boundaries and perform at their best.
🔹 ARC Model (Deci & Ryan, 1985): Autonomy, Relatedness, and Control (ARC) drive motivation. Leaders who give their teams a sense of autonomy, connection, and control create more engaged and confident employees.
Key Takeaway 🎤
Building psychological safety isn’t about making everyone “comfortable” all the time—it’s about creating trust so people can take smart risks and grow. When your team feels safe, they innovate, collaborate, and challenge themselves. And as a BRAVER leader, you set the tone.
So, ask yourself: How can you start fostering trust in your new role today? 💡
🎯 Want More Leadership Insights?
Join the We Brave Leaders community for weekly insights, coaching strategies, and support for your first 90 days. Let’s make this transition your best one yet.
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And for yet more resources to help you on your journey to be a Braver Leader, check out my website here.
