Leadership in the Wild: Safety unlocks performance

I cannot stress enough how powerful it is when people feel safe enough to speak up.

I was in a one on one conversation where we were circling around a problem but not quite naming it. You could feel that quiet hesitation — the kind that shows up when someone is trying to read you before they risk saying the thing that actually matters.

Then all of a sudden this person took a breath, leaned forward a little, and said, “Safe space…Can I be honest about what’s really getting in our way?”

The energy in the room shifted. My head lifted. I nodded. And suddenly the real conversation began.

What struck me wasn’t the comment itself — it was the courage it took to offer it. And the trust it took to believe it would land well.

We agreed to use the phrase "safe space" to signal that we were going to share hard truths with each other going forward.

Psychological safety isn’t soft. It’s not optional. It’s the foundation that allows team members to tell the truth, solve the right problems, and move faster with less friction.

When people feel safe, they stop performing and start contributing. That’s when the work gets real — and the results get better.