July 02 2026 at 04:15AM
Mental Health: Is Psychological Safety a Leadership Choice?
Over the past months, we have been building inward.
Noticing what we feel, regulating how we respond, and learning to replenish what leadership takes from us. This month, we turn outward. Because everything you have been building in yourself has a direct effect on what your team is able to be around you.
A recent Gallup survey* found that only 3 in 10 employees strongly agree that their opinions count at work. That number is not a communication problem. It reflects something about the conditions leaders often unknowingly create around them.
Timothy Clark**, an Oxford-trained social scientist and founder of LeaderFactor, defines psychological safety as the condition that allows people to show up as full human beings at work: uncertain, imperfect, and honest. When people feel genuinely safe to be uncertain, the quality of what a team produces changes. Assumptions get named before they become problems. A PM working with that kind of team is working with reality, not with the version of it people decided was safe to share.
That condition does not emerge on its own. It starts with the leader, and with something quieter and more personal than a team agreement or a workshop. How you respond when someone admits they do not know.
Whether you make space for doubt or fill it immediately with direction. Whether people leave interactions with you feeling more capable or more careful. These are choices, made repeatedly, that either build or erode the condition over time.
*Gallup Workplace Engagement Survey, 2025.
**Clark, T.R. The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety.
LeaderFactor: https://www.leaderfactor.com/4-stages-of-psychological-safety
Have you ever noticed what you create in a room without meaning to? Write to us: editor@pmi-nl.nl
Author’s Bio
Sara is a project management professional with experience in institutional and digital transformation projects. She is particularly interested in the intersection of mental health and leadership in complex project environments.
Newsletter Editor’s Note: At PMI Netherlands, we believe that strong project outcomes start with healthy people, and mental health is an essential part of sustainable project management. We invite you to contribute your insights, habits, and personal experiences on maintaining balance in high-pressure environments. Reach out to us at editor@pmi-nl.nl.
