Most leaders I talk to agree that culture matters. But when I ask what they’re doing to build the culture they want, the answer gets a little less clear.
They can tell me what they want their team to feel. They want people to be engaged, energized, and empowered. But what would tell them it’s working? And what are they willing to change if people are still holding back?
In The Fully Powered™ Leader, I talk about creating the conditions for people to contribute. Psychological safety is one of those conditions, and you can see it in ordinary moments. When a deadline is slipping, how soon do you hear about it? When someone disagrees with you, do they say it in the meeting or wait until they can catch you alone?
Use the five-point checklist below to identify where people are holding back. Then pick one leadership behavior to practice for the next 30 days. If concerns tend to surface after meetings, start by asking, “What risk are we missing?” before you finalize a decision. Give people time to answer, and tell them what you did with what they shared. At the end of the month, ask your team whether it’s gotten easier to raise a concern in the room.
Everyone nods in the meeting. The decision gets made. Then, on the way back to your office, someone stops you and says, “I think there’s something we missed.”
Pay attention to that moment. What made it easier to tell you in the hallway than in the room where the decision was made?
In my eighth book, The Fully Powered™ Leader, I describe how leaders create the conditions that help people feel engaged, energized, and empowered to contribute. Psychological safety is one of those conditions. It’s the confidence that you can ask a question, admit a mistake, or challenge an idea without being embarrassed or penalized for speaking up.
In Chapter 6, I use the example of a company that invests in a beautiful relaxation room. The lighting is soft, the furniture is comfortable, and employees are encouraged to use it. But when someone takes a break, they hear a comment about having “extra time.” The room is available, but using it carries a social cost.
The same thing happens when we say, “My door is always open.” People decide whether to walk through it based on what happens when someone does.
The 5-Point Psychological Safety Checklist
Think about the past month, especially the days when deadlines slipped, a decision was challenged, or something went wrong. Check the statement that best reflects what typically happens. Notice whether your answer changes depending on who is speaking.
1. Can people disagree in the room?
- ☐ People speak up. Someone can say, “I see a risk we haven’t considered,” while the decision is still open.
- ☐ People hold back. The meeting ends in apparent agreement, and the real discussion happens afterward in private.
2. Can people own a mistake?
- ☐ People speak up. Someone says, “I missed that step,” and the team figures out what happened, who will fix it, and how to prevent a repeat.
- ☐ People hold back. Mistakes surface only after someone else discovers them, and the first conversation revolves around who’s at fault.
3. Can people ask for help early?
- ☐ People speak up. Someone says, “I’m stuck and could use another set of eyes,” while there’s still time to help.
- ☐ People hold back. Someone struggles quietly until a deadline slips because asking for help might make them look unprepared.
4. Can people bring you bad news?
- ☐ People speak up. You hear, “We’re at risk of missing the deadline,” early enough to adjust priorities or get support.
- ☐ People hold back. Updates stay upbeat until the problem is too big to explain away.
5. Can people give you feedback about your leadership?
- ☐ People speak up. A team member can say, “When you took over that conversation, I wasn’t sure you trusted me to handle it.”
- ☐ People hold back. Team members warn one another, “I wouldn’t bring that up with them.”
A Leadership Lab You Can Try This Week
Choose one row where people tend to hold back. Recall the last time someone took that risk with you. What did you do in the first 30 seconds? Did you interrupt, explain your intent, or take over? Did you ask a question and let them finish?
In Chapter 5, I teach Pause, Choose, Lead. When you feel your jaw tighten or catch yourself preparing a rebuttal, pause before answering. You might say, “I’m glad you brought this up. What did you see that I might have missed?”
If you already reacted in a way that shut down the conversation, you can reopen it. Try, “I jumped in before hearing you out. Can we go back to what you were saying?”
Then follow through. If someone flags a risk, tell them what you did with the information. If their feedback changes a decision, say so. If you decide to stay the course, explain how you weighed their concern. Those moments give people a concrete reason to speak up the next time something matters.
Fully Powered™ Leadership Begins With the Conditions We Create.
Dr. Christina Fontana helps organizations uncover the hidden patterns that compromise leadership effectiveness, psychological safety, and workplace performance. By integrating nervous system awareness, behavioral transformation, and the Fully Powered™ Leadership Framework, she helps leaders reclaim their power and unlock the brilliance, contribution, and potential of the people they already have.
Ready to Build a Fully Powered™ Organization?
Your people already have incredible potential. The question is: Are your leadership practices and workplace culture helping them thrive—or holding them back?
Through the Fully Powered™ Leadership Framework, I help organizations identify hidden Power Leaks™, strengthen psychological safety, and create the conditions where leaders and teams feel engaged, energized, and empowered to perform at their best.
Let’s explore what’s possible for your leaders, your people, and your organization.
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Because when leaders become Fully Powered™, people thrive—and organizations achieve stronger results.
Dr. Christina Fontana | Leadership Expert | Creator of the Fully Powered™ Leadership Framework