Leading with Psychological Safety to Foster Innovation

Creating a Culture of Psychological Safety for High-Performing Teams

A psychologically safe workplace fuels innovation, creativity, engagement, and well-being. But how do we foster an environment where team members feel confident speaking up with ideas, concerns, or mistakes—without fear of punishment or humiliation?

Empowering Leaders to Foster Psychological Safety

Many leaders rise through the ranks due to their expertise, yet their authority can unintentionally silence junior team members who doubt their own abilities. This one-day experiential workshop, grounded in research by Adam Grant and Amy Edmondson, equips leaders, aspiring leaders, and project managers with practical strategies to build psychological safety. Participants will not only learn new behaviors but also develop the skills to embed these practices within their teams—ensuring a culture where everyone feels empowered to contribute.

By the end of the workshop, you will be able to:

• Explain how organizational hierarchies usually create feelings of psychological unsafety: it is nobody’s fault.
• Evaluate the role of leadership in driving cultural change, emphasizing why change must originate with leaders rather than junior team members.
• Demonstrate an understanding of psychological safety by illustrating how a leader fosters vulnerability loops within teams.
• Develop an emotional connection with vulnerability; far from a weakness, learn that it is an essential leadership skill. 
• Apply specific behaviors to model ongoing vulnerability for the team without a lot of extra time or resource needed.
• Facilitate team participation in co-creating an environment of psychological safety.

Learning Methodology

Presentations, knowledge sharing, case studies, discussion, skill practice, improvisational games, scenario challenges and role playing. An experiential awareness of how psychological safety is different from traditional hierarchical management, without compromising seniority. Participants can subsequently repeat activities within their own team in order to share what they experienced and nurture higher psychological safety.

The workshop itself is “psychologically safe”. Facilitator models appropriate safety levels throughout, leading with this context. Learners can absorb via observation of the class and facilitation methods, as well as via the workshop activities.

Encourage authentic introspection in real time, to investigate leader’s fears, concerns, ambiguities and vulnerabilities. Encourage feedback and transparency with others in small groups and the wider cohort. None of us are invulnerable, nor should we pretend that we are.

This course is perfect for:

• Senior executives
• Mid-level managers
• Aspirational leaders
• Project managers without line manager responsibility
• Those who want their teams to speak up with ideas, questions, concerns or mistakes; to challenge the status quo responsibly; to increase innovation and creativity; to develop greater appetite for risk when trying something new 

“We [leaders] realize we are only an inch ahead of the rest, if at all” 

“I learned they can skip me if they want to progress in their career. Can even go directly to [senior department head]. A manager should not block anyone”

“The experience brought a bit of magic back into the corporate life that we often forget” 

“I [senior leader] am still on that learning journey [said to team of junior colleagues]” 

“In corporate settings, we wear our corporate masks. But [a senior leader] showed her authenticity and it is inspiring” 

With 25 years of experience as a leader, trainer, coach and mentor in financial services, Ravi Agarwal is an accomplished expert in encouraging team success and developing individual potential. He has led teams ranging from small groups to large departments of up to 350 at leading international banks across major global hubs in Singapore, Zurich, and London.

Ravi is now highly regarded for his ability to build team competencies, helping others achieve remarkable results in their careers. His approach to facilitation is deeply rooted in the belief that the most powerful learning happens when people connect with their own humanity. Through authentic and empathetic engagement, whether one-on-one or in groups, he creates a space where participants reach new depths of understanding and growth.

Originally focused on technology and finance, Ravi now specializes in training the character-centered skills essential for high performance. His workshops cover topics such as authentic leadership, motivation, emotional intelligence, psychological safety, critical thinking, decision making and mentoring/coaching others. Ravi’s style is both innovative and immersive; he not only teaches the concepts but embodies them with gravitas, allowing participants to learn by observing and engaging with him in real time.

A British-born polymath, Ravi studied Mathematics, French, and English Literature at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was fortunate to be guided by some exceptional teachers. He takes pride in sharing his alma mater with esteemed figures such as Sir Isaac Newton and former Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. 

Ravi’s diverse background and passion for lifelong learning adds depth to his teaching, making him a compelling and inspiring trainer. Described as energetic, articulate and fun, he also brings learning to conference-sized events, e.g. the PMI’s flagship event at Marina Bay Sands and has been featured in media outlets such as the Straits Times.