Psychological safety in practice
What it is and isn't, how leaders create or destroy it, and how to build the everyday behaviours that make speaking up normal.
Capability area
Leadership & psychological safety
Manager and leader capability that holds up in real conversations: psychological safety, active listening, difficult conversations, emotional intelligence and agility, inclusive leadership and the Power of Play at work.
- Senior leaders
- Line managers
- Emerging leaders
- Whole teams
Why leaders
Culture is mostly the sum of what leaders do repeatedly
How it feels to work with a manager matters. Leaders influence whether people feel able to speak up, ask for help or admit a mistake. We help them practise the conversations and behaviours that support their teams.
Many managers want to support their people and would welcome more guidance. Our leadership work is practical, human and specific — scenarios, language, boundaries and everyday habits.
Ideas that inform our work
“It's about the ability to have those tough conversations that lead to growth without fear of repercussions.”
Modules
What we teach
Active listening
Listening skills practised through everyday workplace scenarios, with time for feedback and reflection.
Difficult conversations
Performance, capability, distress, conflict and disclosure — with structures for preparing, holding and following up.
Emotional intelligence & emotional agility
Noticing what's happening in yourself and others, and choosing a response rather than reacting.
Inclusive leadership
Leading across difference, including neuroinclusion, adjustments and everyday inclusive practice.
Mental health skills for managers
Confidence to notice, respond, signpost and hold boundaries — without becoming the counsellor.
Boundaries & sustainable leadership
Protecting your own capacity while carrying responsibility for others.
The Power of Play at work
Curiosity, experimentation and safe risk as leadership tools — our signature IAP work.
About Power of Play about The Power of Play at workLeading through change
Communication, uncertainty, and managing the psychosocial impact of change on teams.
Pathway
Awareness → capability → strategy → implementation → review
Sessions can stand alone or form part of a longer programme, with time to practise and review.
- 01
Awareness
Shared understanding across the leadership population, and honest reflection on current practice.
- 02
Leader capability
Applied skills sessions with practice, feedback and real scenarios from your context.
- 03
Strategy & action planning
Facilitated sessions where leaders agree what changes at team and organisational level.
- 04
Implementation
Support to embed new habits: prompts, tools, peer groups and manager forums.
- 05
Review
What shifted, what stuck and what needs revisiting — with the next cohort or the next layer.
Delivery
How sessions run
- In person or online, from 90-minute sessions to multi-module programmes
- Interactive throughout — discussion, practice and structured reflection
- Tailored to your sector, structure and the actual conversations your managers are having
- Accessible by design: materials in advance, multiple ways to participate, no forced sharing
- Action planning built in, so people leave with commitments rather than notes
- Optional follow-up sessions to review what happened when they tried it
Support your managers in everyday conversations
Tell us the conversations your leaders are struggling with, and we'll design around them.