?? Sunday Reflection: Can Performance Culture and Psychological Safety Coexist?

?? At first glance, high performance and psychological safety might seem at odds. But research and real-world experience show that when nurtured together, they create stronger, more innovative teams.

Organizations that master this balance not only achieve better results but also build more resilient, creative, and engaged teams.

Understanding the Balance

Psychological safety is about creating an environment where individuals feel safe to speak up, take risks, and admit mistakes without fear of judgment or repercussions. High performance, on the other hand, emphasizes ambitious results and achieving excellence.

While some may see these as opposing forces, research and real-world examples demonstrate that they reinforce each other when properly managed.

Insights from Research & Practice

?? Google’s Project Aristotle: High Performance Starts with Psychological Safety

Google studied over 180 teams to determine what makes them successful. Their findings? The best-performing teams weren’t necessarily those with the most experience or technical skill - they were the ones that operated in an environment where people felt safe to take risks, admit mistakes, and share ideas without fear. When teams trust each other, innovation and agility increase. (Read more)

?? Pixar’s Braintrust: Candid Feedback Without Fear

Pixar has institutionalized psychological safety through its Braintrust meetings. Directors present early versions of films to a trusted group, receiving unfiltered, constructive feedback - without fear of hierarchy or blame. This ensures that creativity isn’t stifled by politics and has led to some of the most successful animated films in history. (Read more)

? NASA’s Challenger Disaster: The Cost of Silence

In 1986, engineers at NASA had concerns about the Challenger’s O-rings but hesitated to raise them due to hierarchical pressures. The result? A preventable disaster. Afterward, NASA made fundamental cultural shifts - implementing structured feedback loops and leadership training - so that concerns could always be voiced. Today, psychological safety is a core part of their risk management strategy. (Read more)

Applying Research to Leadership

I’ve seen this balance play out firsthand. Many years ago, I attended a course on effective project management, led by an instructor who had worked with NASA. He started the session with a personal insight:

“I have been married for 35 years - to the same woman. My secret? I have always expected more from myself than from my wife.”

This simple but profound philosophy resonated with me. Great leadership is about setting high standards for yourself while creating an environment where others feel safe to grow, experiment, and even fail.

Later in my career, I encountered a hyper-growth challenge: entering a new market, launching new products, and achieving an ambitious target within two years.

Having seen how short-term sales targets could demotivate even experienced teams, I took a different approach. Instead of fixating on the daunting goal, we shifted the team’s focus to the systems, strategies, and creative initiatives that would get us there:

?? What innovative approaches can we use?

?? How can we build a ‘Blue Ocean’ strategy?

?? What systems will help us execute faster and smarter?

By moving the conversation away from the goal and toward the means to achieve it, we created a culture of engagement, learning, and bold thinking. The result? We exceeded our target by 250%.

Strategies for Leaders

To cultivate both high performance and psychological safety, leaders can:

? Model vulnerability - Create a culture where leaders admit mistakes and share learnings.

? Recognize contributions, not just outcomes - Reward effort, collaboration, and innovation.

? Encourage open dialogue - Challenge norms and create space for new ideas.

By integrating these principles, leaders build teams that don’t just perform well - they thrive.

Tools and Practices to Leverage

?? Checklists: Inspired by The Checklist Manifesto, simplifying tasks reduces complexity and improves execution.

?? Automation and AI: Streamlining repetitive processes allows teams to focus on creativity and strategy.

?? Norm-Challenging Dialogue: When challenging norms is encouraged - not penalized - innovation flourishes.

High performance isn’t about pushing harder - it’s about building the right culture, systems, and behaviors that enable success.

From the Bookshelf

?? Atomic Habits - James Clear

?? The Checklist Manifesto - Atul Gawande

?? The Fearless Organization - Amy Edmondson

?? Measure What Matters (OKRs) - John Doerr

A Note on Agility and Change Management

While psychological safety and high performance are critical, they are not enough on their own. Organizations must also embrace agility, adaptability, and a willingness to challenge existing ways of working.

It’s an important discussion - one that might just be the focus of a future Sunday Reflection on Change Management and Organizational Agility… ??

Reflective Question

?? How do you create an environment where psychological safety and high performance thrive together?

Happy Sunday. ??