What happens when there’s no psychological safety?

Last week, I shared some thoughts on high-performing teams and the crucial role of psychological safety in building them.

This week, I want to explore what happens when those things aren’t present.
I’m currently coaching someone in a team where trust is low — largely due to poor leadership and micromanagement. We’re still in the middle of our work together, but some clear themes are emerging that are worth sharing (in an anonymized way, of course).

Here are a few of the impacts we’re seeing in the team:

🔹 Fear and uncertainty – Team members don’t know what the leader will do next or who they’ll target. This leads to low motivation, minimal initiative, and a culture of doing only what’s required.
🔹 Silenced ideas – People hesitate to share suggestions because they’ve been dismissed or criticised in the past — even when they were right. Innovation takes a hit.
🔹 Mirroring behaviour – The leader drip-feeds information, so the team drip-feeds their responses. It becomes a cycle of guarded communication.
🔹 Constant second-guessing – The team spends more energy trying to predict the leader’s next move than on achieving their actual goals.

If we were working with this leader, we’d start by understanding why they operate this way. Sometimes it’s a learned behaviour, sometimes it’s a belief that “knowledge is power”, or sometimes it’s just unawareness of the impact they’re having.

We’ve helped leaders like this before — not by blaming, but by holding up a mirror and supporting them in shifting their style. Change isn’t easy, but it is possible.

We’ve also worked with teams in similar situations — helping them build confidence, communicate more effectively, and develop strategies for dealing with challenging dynamics. When senior leaders are open to change, we work with both sides to rebuild trust, create psychological safety, and put new ways of working in place.

If any of this resonates with you or your team, feel free to reach out for a no-pressure conversation.