Developing real psychological safety doesn't mean staying in a static, comfortable bubble. It means developing the resilience and flexibility to handle more diverse and challenging scenarios. The once formidable becomes the familiar. We don’t become more psychologically safe by avoiding or denying the things that make us uncomfortable. But rather including, embracing and expanding beyond that discomfort.

Ticking off “the boxes” must be one of the most alluring paths for leaders, and one of the biggest pitfalls. It’s so alluring because it promises a systematic approach to predictability, safety and control – but that promise is empty. The real work, the kind that actually sustains and accelerates growth, lies beyond the comfort of checklists and conventional wisdom. It starts with setting aside the way that may look right and instead doing what’s right: asking the hard questions, the uncomfortable questions, the questions that may not have “right” answers at all.