Have you had concerns about a team project and didn’t share it with others? Or been part of a team where you couldn’t speak up with questions? These self-protective behaviors help us manage others’ perceptions of us. No one wants to look ignorant, incompetent, intrusive or negative. But withholding your voice can have significant negative consequences for the team. It deprives the team of the full range of the team members’ knowledge, skill and experience and makes it less likely that the team will learn and achieve its purpose.

Fortunately, empirical research has identified a set of behaviors that increase psychological safety—a shared belief that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking—and make it more likely that people will contribute. Randall Smith of PowerLabs joins us to talk about the actions you can take to increase psychological safety in your teams.