Send us a text

In this episode I sit down with renowned organizational designer and author Jurriaan Kamer to explore the high-impact concept of psychological safety—a key ingredient for healthy teams and effective leadership that often gets lip service but little follow-through.

Psychological safety isn’t just a buzzword—it’s the bedrock of trust, collaboration, and innovation. So why do so many workplaces struggle with it?

Together, we get into the heart of what psychological safety really means, the barriers that block it, and the leadership behaviors that foster (or destroy) it. If you’re leading a team, supporting people through change, or working to create a culture of openness and accountability—this episode is your playbook.

🔍 What We Cover:

• ✅ Definition of psychological safety (and why it’s misunderstood)
• ⚠️ Common roadblocks like fear of judgment, unclear expectations, and perfectionism
• 🧰 Tactical ways leaders can create safety—starting with how they react to bad news
• 🫣 The uncomfortable truth: vulnerability is a leadership skill, not a personality trait
• 🧠 The connection between psychological safety and employee mental health
• 🔄 The ripple effects: how safety impacts performance, innovation, engagement, and retention

🧠 Resources Mentioned:

• 📘 The Fearless Organization by Amy Edmondson – the foundational book on psychological safety
  Buy it here
• 📕 Formula X by Jurriaan Kamer & Rini van Solingen – how to speed up business without burning people out
  Check it out here
• 📄 Harvard Business Review article on What Psychological Safety Looks Like in a Hybrid Workplace
• 📎 Google’s Project Aristotle – research showing psychological safety is the top trait of successful teams
   Read the summary

👤 About Our Guest: Jurriaan Kamer

Jurriaan Kamer is an organizational designer, agile transformation expert, and co-author of the bestselling book Formula X. He helps companies break free from outdated structures and bureaucracy to build high-performance teams with a human-first approach.

Jurriaan regularly consults with Fortune 500 companies and fast-growing startups, guiding them to create adaptive, empowering workplaces where people can thrive.

🔗 Connect with Jurriaan:

• Website: https://jurriaankamer.com & unblock.works 
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jurriaankamer
• Book: Formula X

💬 Quote Worth Sharing:

“Psychological safety isn’t about removing discomfort—it’s about creating the conditions where people feel safe enough to speak uncomfortable truths.”
 — Jurriaan Kamer

Subscribe to Dear HR Diary for weekly episodes that dish out the raw, real, and refreshingly honest truth about leading people. Because managing humans is messy—and we’re here to help you do it better.

Support the show

Connect with Dawn:
Website: www.managewithhart.com
Instagram: @managewithhart