Creating Safe Spaces for Growth: The Power of Psychological Safety in Leadership
Kamilla Sultanova
Here to talk, train, host, empower teams and individuals with inclusion and belonging. DEI Consultant ? Award-winning Keynote Speaker ? Event Host & Moderator ? Networking catalyst with a Nordic voice
Let’s be real—there's no shortcut to creating meaningful change in DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging).?
The recent anti-DEIB backlash we've seen this summer has hit hard, but if we want to rebuild and strengthen this movement, we must focus on something fundamental: psychological safety.
Psychological safety, which we know a lot from author and professor of leadership at the Harvard Business School, Amy Edmondson, remains a cornerstone for leadership and talent development today. It's about fostering environments where people feel seen, valued, and heard—where they can express their thoughts and ideas without fear of judgment or repercussions. And ultimately bring their best potential to the team and company growth.?
This safety is essential for teams to thrive, innovate, and perform at their best. It goes beyond gender and cultural diversity, extending to generational diversity as well, as highlighted in the Culture Factor Group report and presented by Egbert Schram at the Henry ry event in Helsinki.?
Leaders today are challenged to adapt their leadership styles to the needs of diverse teams, ensuring that every team member feels secure enough to contribute their unique perspectives.
I have been to many challenging conversations - so entering those were far from campfire chats - I wish. But it does grow your thick skin, right??
Nordic Business Forum 2024: The Role of Psychological Safety in Courageous Leadership Development
The Nordic Business Forum drove home the importance of creating this kind of safety in courageous leadership for talent development and strategy execution. Speakers like Adam Grant, Kim Scott, Liz Wiseman, and Brené Brown emphasized that feedback, while critical, can only be effective in an environment where people feel safe enough to speak up. And that courageous leadership is about being a multiplier of intelligence, empowerer, and genius maker, not a diminisher.
Feedback is not a one-time task but an ongoing practice, a dialogue that fosters growth. It becomes a catalyst for improvement when leaders create a psychologically safe space for honest conversations—spaces that allow people to thrive.
Culture Factor Group Report: Fostering Clarity and Safety Across Generations
At the Culture Factor Group event, the focus was on how clarity and psychological safety work together to drive cultural harmony in organizations. The report showed insights on adapting leadership to work with diverse teams—from different generations, backgrounds, and experiences for them to perform best. Psychological safety isn't a "nice to have"—it's a strategic imperative that fosters innovation and productivity. Clear expectations are essential for creating that safety. Job roles, feedback mechanisms, and responsibilities must be clearly defined. When employees know what is expected of them and where they stand, it becomes easier to engage in meaningful conversations that lead to growth and innovation.?
I have spoken about this topic to executives administrative assistance, sea officers, consultants, c-suite leaders and HR leaders during past years and I know it is challenge for all of us, especially now when “hero CEO” age is over and we are scrutinized with our ability to deliver results, motivate and be on top of all external factors.
Nevertheless, Edmondson has often emphasized, it’s in these interpersonal interactions where the magic happens—where we take emotional risks and learn from each other.
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Diversify Nordic Summit: Overcoming the Fear of Judgment
The theme of psychological safety continued at the Diversify Nordic Summit, where conversations delved into topics of vulnerability and emotional exposure. Keynote speaker Sarah Reynolds discussed the challenge of "covering" one's identity—something many people do to feel accepted in spaces where they don’t feel psychologically safe.?
She recommends checking policies in place that would enable people to be who they are in a workplace for example DEI programs and funding, using inclusive language, and bias auditing for recruitment, performance, and promotion processes among others.?
This was echoed by Chisom Udeze, who reflected on her experiences in Norway and the question: Who do I need to be to survive this room?
We can't build resilient, innovative spaces or communities if people are constantly masking their true selves out of fear. Instead, leaders must work to create environments that feel more like a welcoming campfire than a sterile boardroom. One interesting thought on Finnish leadership was voiced by Paula Kilpinen, CEO of Henley Business School in the Finnish magazine Fakta/Kauppalehti 09,2024:
“We can say that (in Finland) hired team members and CEOs look a lot like those who sit on the boards. We got to courageously grow by diversifying both CEOs and management teams.”?
Bring Psychological Safety to Life with Feedback Training?
If you’re ready to take the next step in fostering psychological safety, consider organizing a feedback workshop using Playback Theater. This interactive experience helps employees and teams practice feedback giving and receiving through simulations that promote growth, understanding, and guidance. It's a powerful tool to help your team not just learn but actively engage in feedback as a means to create a psychologically safe environment.
Reach out to learn more about how we can bring this training to your organization and support your journey toward a safer, more productive workplace!
Also, I’d love to know—what good sources on psychological safety do you recommend? Let’s keep the conversation going and share resources that have helped us grow in this critical area.
Warmly,
Kamilla Sultanova
Further Resources and Insights:
Milj?terapeut
1 个月I believe that while living in a Multicultural society it is crucial to respect different perspectives without being judgemental. I would like to endorse this psychological safety which in my opinion helps in enhancing individual as well as collective growth.
I support organizations in creating sustainable workplaces with comprehensive culture and risk evaluations.
1 个月Is this the time where organisations will implement financial bonuses based on how well management creates psychological safety. Creating an environment where risk is identified early and top managements consistently act early is proven to be good for the bottom line, and relies on psychological safety. So it would be logical to award those leaders that create the foundation for bottom line success.