Psychological Safety: Stop Guessing & Start Measuring To Supercharge Your Culture

The Sticky From The Inside Podcast

What if your team’s biggest performance blocker wasn’t capability—but silence?

In this episode, I’m joined by psychological safety expert Gary Keogh to unpack why so many people still don’t feel safe to speak up at work—and how most leaders are blind to it. We explore what psychological safety really is (and isn’t), why two in five people still hold back, and why 70% of leaders think their teams feel safer than they actually do.

Gary shares practical insights into the four domains of psychological safety, the impact of accurately measuring it, and the powerful shifts he sees during the breakthrough sessions he runs with teams. We also flip the usual doom-and-gloom narrative, highlighting positive examples like Netflix’s “farming for dissent” approach.

If you want to build a high-trust, high-performance culture—this is where it starts.

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Key Takeaways

• Silence is the hidden killer of performance: Two in five employees hold back ideas or concerns due to fear, costing organisations innovation, speed, and trust.
• Psychological safety isn’t about comfort, it’s about candour: It’s not about being “nice.” It’s about creating space for honest, respectful challenge without fear of reprisal.
• There are 4 domains of Psychological Safety: Willingness to help, inclusion & belonging, attitude to risk & failure, and open conversations.
• Stop guessing. Start measuring: A 3-minute survey can uncover the truth, spark the right conversations, and drive lasting behaviour change.

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Key Moments

The key moments in this episode are:

0:00:10 – Why silence still rules too many workplaces
0:04:00 – Gary’s purpose: Unlocking and igniting potential
0:06:40 – What makes people hold back and what leaders miss
0:09:10 – What psychological safety is (and isn’t)
0:13:55 – The four domains of psychological safety
0:17:45 – Real breakthroughs from team sessions
0:22:40 – Why safety must be a group phenomenon
0:26:20 – Netflix's “informed captain” & farming for dissent
0:30:10 – How to handle challenge and feedback the right way
0:34:30 – Data sparks conversation and change
0:40:20 – What sustained impact really looks like
0:42:55 – Gary’s 3 Sticky Notes for building psychological safety

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Get the full transcript of the episode here