Do you know the single most important factor in determining a team’s success?
It’s not talent.
Not experience.
Not even compensation.
It’s psychological safety.
According to Google’s Project Aristotle, after studying 180+ teams, the #1 predictor of high performance wasn’t who was on the team—it was how safe they felt to speak up, take risks, and be vulnerable with each other.
And yet… most CS leaders don’t talk about this.
We obsess over dashboards, tech stacks, and renewal targets.
But if your team doesn’t feel safe to share what’s not working, challenge ideas, or admit when they need help—none of that will matter.
In fact, the absence of psychological safety could quietly be the reason behind:
- A CSM burning out
- A customer renewal slipping through the cracks
- A brilliant idea never seeing the light of day
I know, because I’ve been there.
When I Burned Out, It Wasn’t the Workload That Did It
A few years ago, I went through a burnout so severe it forced me to walk away from a job I once loved.
I was leading a team, driving results, and juggling everything on my plate. But inside, I felt completely unsupported.
I didn’t feel like I could ask for help. I couldn’t raise concerns about my workload. I was scared that being honest would be seen as weakness or failure.
What I didn’t realize then, but do now, is that I wasn’t missing time management.
I was missing psychological safety.
There was no room for mistakes. No space to talk about mental health. No support system that made it okay to be human.
And eventually, I burned out. I quit.
That experience taught me something I’ll never forget:
When safety is absent, performance breaks down.
When people don’t feel safe to fail, they don’t grow.
And when your team can’t grow, you can’t scale.
What Is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety is the belief that you can speak up about ideas, concerns, questions, and even mistakes without fear of judgment or punishment.
Amy Edmondson, who coined the term, calls it the foundation of team learning and innovation.
And Google’s research confirms that teams with high psychological safety are:
- More effective and goal-oriented
- More likely to stay with the company
- More engaged and inclusive
- More proactive in surfacing issues early
In Customer Success, where cross-functional collaboration, customer risk management, and high-stakes conversations are part of the daily job, this kind of safety is critical.
Data shows that teams with higher psychological safety are 40% more likely to be high-performing, according to research by Google’s Project Aristotle.
So, How Do You Build It?
Here are 5 ways you can start building psychological safety into your CS team today:
1. Lead by Example
As a leader, you set the tone for your team. If you want your CSMs to feel comfortable sharing challenges or mistakes, you need to model that behavior.
Be vulnerable and admit when you don’t have all the answers. Share your mistakes and how you overcame them. Let your team know it’s okay to fail, as long as you learn from it.
Practical tip: During team meetings or 1:1s, openly share a recent challenge you faced and how you handled it. This creates a safe space for your team to share their own challenges.
2. Encourage Open Dialogue and Feedback
When communication is open, team members feel more comfortable raising concerns or asking for help. Create regular opportunities for feedback and ensure everyone knows their voice matters.
Practical tip: Schedule regular check-ins with your team to openly discuss successes, challenges, and roadblocks. Encourage them to bring up both personal and professional concerns.
3. Avoid Punishing Mistakes. Learn From Them
Mistakes should be seen as learning opportunities, not failures. When you treat mistakes as learning experiences, you empower your team to take risks, innovate, and push boundaries.
Practical tip: After a mistake is made, instead of assigning blame, ask, “What can we learn from this?” Encourage problem-solving and idea-sharing to turn mistakes into actionable solutions.
4. Foster a “We” Culture, Not “Me” Culture
When the team feels like they’re working toward a shared goal, they’re more likely to collaborate and support one another. Create an environment where success is a team effort, not an individual competition.
Practical tip: Use team-oriented language in meetings: “How can we solve this together?” and “What can we all do to help?” This helps shift the mindset from individual performance to collective growth.
5. Reward Candor and Risk-Taking
Rewarding openness and risk-taking, rather than just results, will encourage your team to step out of their comfort zones. Recognize team members who offer bold ideas or openly share what’s working and what’s not.
Practical tip: At the end of each week, ask your team to share one “risky” thing they did or suggested, whether it was a new approach with a customer or a challenge they faced. Acknowledge the effort publicly.
Why Psychological Safety Is a Performance Lever
This isn’t fluff. It’s not about being “soft.” It’s about creating the conditions where your team can thrive.
When your team feels safe:
- They flag risks early
- They contribute better ideas
- They innovate more
- They trust you—and each other
That’s what drives stronger retention, better customer outcomes, and long-term success.
Want Help Creating a High-Trust, High-Performance CS Team?
I work with CS leaders to build teams that hit their number and feel empowered doing it.
We focus on:
- Operationalizing trust through team rituals and rhythms
- Designing systems that reinforce safety and accountability
- Coaching strategies that build critical thinking, ownership, and trust
📅 Want to explore whether coaching is the right fit for you? Book a consultation call with me here. Let’s talk through what you’re navigating and explore whether coaching or consulting is the right next step to support your goals.