The Silent Killer of Team Performance

Imagine a team where people hold back ideas, hesitate to ask questions, and stay silent in the face of challenges.

I was working as part of such a team in the Melbourne real estate industry a few years ago. Our new team leader first seemed encouraging to share our knowledge, but it became clear that he just needed to get a grasp on our organisation and industry. After a few weeks, it was all command and control, team members who agreed with him were favoured and our ideas were constantly shut down in meetings. We worked in silos trying to protect ourselves and our team performance declined. We were experiencing the ‘Silent Killer’.

When people don’t feel safe, performance drops

This is what happens in environments where people don’t feel safe: trust erodes, mistakes go unspoken and collaboration comes to a halt. When psychological safety is missing, fear of judgment or punishment suppresses creativity and accountability, resulting in disengagement and mediocrity.

Team members focus on self-preservation over collaboration, and performance suffers. Without a culture of openness, even the best teams fail to reach their potential. The cost isn’t simply missed opportunities—it’s the slow unravelling of trust, morale, and, eventually, results.

“A fearless organization is not one without conflict; it’s one where conflict is productive.” – Amy C. Edmondson

Amy C. Edmondson, a major organisational behaviour and psychological safety researcher, revealed that psychological safety greatly affects team performance. Edmondson introduced psychological safety as a shared notion that a team is safe for interpersonal risk-taking in her groundbreaking 1999 study. She found that teams with better psychological safety were more inclined to seek feedback, call out problems, and try new things. These actions boosted team performance.

Amy Edmondson’s steps to create Psychological Safety

Set the Stage:

Frame your work as a learning challenge, not an execution task: Emphasize that complex work requires input from everyone, and mistakes are part of the process.

Acknowledge uncertainty and interdependence: Leaders should communicate that no one has all the answers and that team members must rely on each other.

Invite Engagement

Ask more questions and actively seek input: Leaders should encourage participation by explicitly inviting team members to share their ideas, concerns, and challenges.

Model curiosity: Instead of making assumptions, approach conversations with a learning mindset.

Respond Productively

Express appreciation for contributions: Recognize and reinforce when people speak up, even if their ideas aren’t immediately implemented.

Destigmatise failure: Treat mistakes as opportunities for learning rather than punishable offenses.

Hold people accountable with respect: Psychological safety isn’t about being “nice” all the time—it’s about creating an environment where tough conversations can happen constructively.

From Safe Spaces, to Brave Spaces, to Accountable Spaces

“There is no courage without vulnerability. Vulnerability sounds like truth and feels like courage. Truth and courage aren’t always comfortable, but they’re never weakness.” – Brene Brown

Brené Brown challenges the idea that teams should merely strive to create safe spaces—places where people feel comfortable and unchallenged. Instead, she pushes for moving beyond comfort into brave spaces—where individuals have the courage to be vulnerable, speak up, and engage in tough but necessary conversations.

However, bravery alone isn’t enough. True growth happens in accountable spaces, where openness and courage are paired with responsibility. In these environments, teams don’t just express themselves freely; they commit to learning from one another, holding themselves and their colleagues accountable for behaviour that strengthens trust and collective success.

Creating such a space in corporate teams requires intentional leadership. Brown’s top tip? Leaders must model vulnerability first. When leaders admit mistakes, ask for feedback, and acknowledge what they don’t know, they set the tone for a culture where others feel safe to do the same. Psychological safety isn’t about avoiding discomfort—it’s about embracing it with the confidence that honesty and accountability will be met with respect, not punishment.

Psychological safety isn’t about comfort—it’s about trust, openness, and accountability. Leaders who model openness and respect create teams that don’t just function—they thrive. What kind of space are you creating? Or are you experiencing The Silent Killer of Team Performance?

Get in touch if I can support you: jessica@intactteams.com