I remembered reading Project Aristotle—Google’s 2012 study of 180 teams across 250 attributes. The #1 driver of high performance? Psychological safety. Not perks. Not fancy strategy docs. Not even aggressive goal-setting. It starts with how individuals feel inside the team. And yet… creating psychological safety at work is one of the hardest things to do. There are so many factors outside your control. Over the years, I’ve developed a few simple rules I lean on to keep my team safe—both in times of uncertainty and in moments of progress: 1️⃣ Transparency — You don’t need to have all the answers. Saying “I don’t kno, what do you think?” doesn’t weaken trust; it strengthens it. Your team learns to trust you when you do have answers. 2️⃣ Admit Mistakes — Leaders make mistakes too. Owning them—publicly or privately—sets the tone. It removes shame, accelerates problem-solving, and builds trust that mistakes won’t be hidden. 3️⃣ Empower the Team — Don’t architect every solution. Give your people clear roles, then let them propose strategies and timelines. They’ll not only think bigger but also better understand your decisions when you need to make tough calls. These are just 3 of my 5 rules. The other two? They’re in the comments—because they’re the ones that really challenge how most leaders operate.