Psychological Safety Increases Workplace Success
Cathie Leimbach • November 28, 2023
Erica Keswin, a workplace strategist and coach, suggests that Workplace Performance = Psychological Safety + Purpose. When people feel safe at work and believe their work has purpose, they will be a stronger performer. And, appropriate rituals at work help employees feel safer.
A ritual is a sequence of activities involving gestures, words, and/or actions that mark a specific occasion. Rituals that make people more connected to the mission and people in their organization create a greater sense of belonging, increasing employees’ sense of being in a safe place and motivating them to meet and exceed workplace expectations.
Consider these ideas around rituals:
- In-person rituals help employees get to know each other, they help people want to develop valuable connections with each other rather than hiding behind technology.
- If we want the benefits of psychological safety, we need to be intentional about establishing and maintaining them. Rituals don’t come out of thin air.
- Rituals can include celebrating recurring events such as welcoming a new employee, acknowledging promotions, marking the end of a week or the completion of a project.
- Rituals can be accessible to everyone. They don’t have to cost money or be complicated or intimidating. They can be as simple as a Monday morning team coffee break.
What simple ritual could your company adopt to increase human connection and workplace pride? What is one step you can take towards starting this ritual?
In most organizations, the instinct is to add —more goals, more projects, more meetings. But as Juliet Funt, founder of the Juliet Funt Group, teaches in her Strategic Choice process, real leadership strength lies in deciding what to stop doing . Strategic Choice is the intentional narrowing of priorities—cutting away the clutter so teams can focus on what truly drives results. It’s a disciplined act of letting go: saying no to good ideas so there’s room for the great ones. Funt’s approach challenges leaders to pause, think, and create the mental and operational space their people need to perform at their best. By removing unnecessary tasks and misplaced effort, leaders make room for precision, innovation, and real thinking time. This isn’t about doing less—it’s about doing what matters most. When businesses adopt this mindset, they replace overwhelm with clarity and regain control of their time, energy, and outcomes. For small to mid-sized companies, embracing Strategic Choice can transform busyness into focus—and that focus is where sustainable growth begins. Want a quick visual overview? View Strategic Choice: Making Room for What Matters to see how this process helps leaders focus on what truly drives results.
Hey team leaders! Ever wonder why some companies soar while others stumble? Patrick Lencioni's bestseller, The Five Dysfunctions of a Team , nails it: workplace dysfunctions such as no trust, fear of conflict, lack of commitment, avoiding accountability, and ignoring results lead to mediocre performance at best. But here's the good news—smart leadership development changes the game! Start with building trust . Train leaders to open up and be vulnerable. Teams bond, ideas flow, and costly mistakes drop. Next, embrace healthy conflict . Teach team leaders to make it safe for team members to share the pros and cons of current or new ways of doing things. This helps everyone understand different perspectives. Then, drive commitment . Leaders who clarify goals, ask everyone to share their level of buy-in, and address their concerns get everyone bought in. People focus on high value work and get more done. . Hold folks accountable through coaching. Leaders learn to give kind, direct feedback by praising good work and calmly providing more training as needed. Turnover plummets and the quality and quantity of work improves. Finally, focus on results . Be clear on expectations. Keep score by monitoring progress weekly or daily. Acknowledge team wins when the goals are met. Winning sports teams pay attention to these Five Behaviors of a Team. How would a World Series winner have been determined this week without trust among the players and coaches, openness to tough coaching, the whole team working together, players focusing on their specific positions, and getting players around the bases to get the top score? Every workplace can benefit from these team behaviors as well. Lencioni's research proves it: Companies who prepare their leaders to overcome these 5 common workplace dysfunctions, improve the culture and see huge financial gains. Invest in your leaders today. Your bottom line will thank you! Click here to learn more about the painful cost of team dysfunction.