If you’ve been told leadership means being tough, neutral, or unshakably professional—this episode is your permission slip to let that go. Because real leadership? It starts with showing up as a whole, flawed, listening human.
Featured Book: The Psychological Safety Playbook by Karolin Helbig & Minette Norman
Big Idea: Psychological safety isn’t just a culture goal—it’s a leadership practice. And the most powerful way to build it isn’t through process or perks. It’s through consistent, human behavior.
Discussion Beats:
* Why psychological safety isn’t a “soft skill”—it’s a core leadership responsibility
* The cost of “pretend professionalism” and how it shuts down contribution
* 25 actionable behaviors that build trust—starting with small, often missed moments
* How self-awareness, curiosity, and humility outperform charisma in creating safe teams
Summary: This book is the tactical companion to the theory of psychological safety. Helbig and Norman distill the concept into 25 real-world behaviors that help any leader—regardless of title—create safer, more inclusive, more courageous teams. It’s not abstract. It’s not fluffy. It’s deeply human and refreshingly actionable, making it a must-read for managers who want to lead through presence, not pressure.
Closing Takeaway: You don’t have to have all the answers. You just have to create the kind of space where others feel safe enough to find them with you.
Core Message: Being human is your leadership superpower. Use it to build safety, trust, and team performance—one moment at a time.
This isn’t about making people comfortable. It’s about making it safe to be real. If you want honesty, creativity, and high performance—you need psychological safety. And you can’t delegate that. You model it.
👉 Join the next FREE LGI SuperSession: Psychological Safety — It Starts With Me on April 24th 2025. Space is extremely limited. Reserve your spot →
A quick note on how this content was created: To bring you thoughtful and timely insights, parts of this article were created with the help of AI tools, then reviewed and refined by a human (that's us!). We use technology to support clarity and creativity — but the heart of our content is always guided by experience, learning, and purpose. As always, we encourage you to explore these ideas with curiosity and critical thinking. If something sparks a question or you want to dig deeper, we’re here to keep the conversation going.
