How to Build Psychological Safety Without Making It Weird
Psychological safety is one of those phrases that gets thrown around a lot, usually by someone who read an article and decided to bring it up in a meeting as a buzzword to make them seem cool and smart. And while it’s become a buzzword, it’s still one of the most powerful indicators of whether a team will succeed or slowly fall apart.
The problem is, most people don’t know how to actually build it. Or worse, they make it weird.
So let’s talk about how to build psychological safety in ways that are real, effective, and, most importantly, not cringey.
1. Normalize Not Knowing Everything
Psychological safety starts when people believe they won’t be punished for being human. That means it’s okay to say, "I don’t know," or, "I need help," or, "I messed up."
And guess where that has to start? Leadership. If you want people to stop pretending they have it all together, you’ve got to model that first.
Try saying, “I missed something here, and I’m learning from it.” Or, “I don’t know the answer yet, but I’ll figure it out.” It sounds simple, but it opens the door for others to show up honestly, too.
2. Create Structure for Feedback, Then Actually Listen
You can’t build safety if the only time you ask for feedback is during a crisis.
Create regular, low-stakes ways for people to share thoughts. Anonymous surveys. One-on-ones. Retro meetings. And then, and this is key, do something with what they say.
If your team gives feedback and it disappears into a void, they’ll stop bothering. People need to see that their voices lead to action. That’s how you build trust.
3. Set the Tone in Meetings
Your meeting culture says everything about how safe people feel.
Are people interrupting each other constantly? Are only one or two voices dominating the space? Does anyone ask, “What do you think?” or do they just talk at the room?
A psychologically safe meeting doesn’t have to feel like a trust fall exercise (gross, trust falls. Let’s ban those forever). It just needs to be a place where people know they won’t be shut down, embarrassed, or ignored. That means leaders speak last, questions are welcomed, and everyone has the space to contribute.
4. Respond to Mistakes with Curiosity, Not Blame
When something goes wrong, how you respond matters more than what went wrong.
Do you jump straight into blame mode? Or do you start with: "What happened here, and what can we learn from it?"
If people are afraid of being punished every time they fail, they will hide their failures. And that’s how big problems get worse. Curiosity is how you build a culture where people take smart risks and actually grow.
5. Keep It Human
Psychological safety isn’t about being soft. It’s about being human. It’s about knowing that your job won’t punish you for speaking up, asking questions, or trying something new.
You don’t need a workshop to start building it. You just need to create a little more space for honesty. A little more room for imperfection. A little more trust that the people on your team are trying their best and want to do great work.
And when people feel safe? They do.
At The Threadsmith Group, we help teams build the kind of culture that doesn’t just talk about safety, it lives it. If your team is stuck in silence, fear, or performative positivity, let’s create something better.
You don’t need trust falls. You need a workplace where people feel like people.
Let’s build it.