How to Make It Easier for Others to Tell You the Truth

Key points

People don’t hold back because they’re difficult—they hold back because honesty feels risky.

Psychological safety turns hard truths into shared learning instead of social threat.

The Safety Cycle lowers the cost of candor and raises the reward.

When others see that you can handle honesty with steadiness and appreciation, they start sharing.

We all know the feeling: You ask for candor and get a careful half-answer. That isn’t stubbornness—it’s self-protection. Psychological safety is the belief that you won’t be judged, shamed, or punished for speaking up. When it’s present, people report errors faster, share concerns earlier, and help each other learn—benefits documented across decades of research led by Harvard’s Amy Edmondson. Her research shows that the best teams aren