The Misconception Too often, leaders hear “psychological safety” and immediately think of it as something fluffy or optional. A “nice-to-have” culture play that feels soft compared to metrics, revenue, and hard strategy. But here’s the truth: psychological safety is not soft at all - it’s the bedrock of innovation, resilience, and high performance. Google’s famous Project Aristotle found that the number one predictor of team effectiveness wasn’t talent or tenure, but psychol
