Fostering Psychological Safety in Leadership

Christian Idiodi sits down with executive coach and author Kate Leto to discuss how psychological safety drives high-performing product teams. Through concrete examples, they demystify the concept and show how deliberate acts of trust, candor, and shared accountability unlock real-world results.

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Today’s discussion unpacks:

• What psychological safety is and why it matters

• Signs your team does or does not have psychological safety

• The relationship between psychological safety, trust, and accountability

• Common misconceptions around this topic

• Tactical advice for leaders and team members

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References:

• Emotional Self Control Probably Doesn’t Mean What You Think: https://www.kateleto.com/articles/emotional-self-control-probably-doesnt-mean-what-you-think-but-its-an-essential-skill-for-leaders

• Google’s Project Aristotle: https://psychsafety.com/googles-project-aristotle/

• Hiring Product Managers: Using Product EQ to Go Beyond Culture and Skills: https://www.amazon.com/Hiring-Product-Managers-beyond-culture/dp/B09RFYCGL9

• Self-Awareness Revisited: https://www.kateleto.com/articles/what-the-heck-is-self-awareness-and-why-should-you-care-part-2

• What is Self-Awareness and Why Should You Care? https://www.kateleto.com/articles/what-is-self-awareness

• What People Get Wrong About Psychological Safety: https://hbr.org/2025/05/what-people-get-wrong-about-psychological-safety

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Where to find SVPG:

• SVPG’s new book, TRANSFORMED: https://www.svpg.com/books/transformed-moving-to-the-product-operating-model/

• Other books: https://www.svpg.com/books/

• Articles: https://www.svpg.com/articles/

• Workshops: https://www.svpg.com/

• Videos: https://www.svpg.com/videos/

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Where to find Christian Idiodi:

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cidiodi/

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Where to find Kate Leto:

• Books and insights: https://www.kateleto.com/books-and-insights

• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kateleto/

• Website: https://www.kateleto.com/

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Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(00:42) What is psychological safety

(02:11) Why psychological safety matters in work environments

(03:16) How psychological safety enables diverse perspectives

(05:12) Google's research on high-performing teams

(06:13) Differentiating trust from psychological safety

(08:04) Diagnosing the root cause of low psychological safety

(10:48) How leaders can create psychological safety

(13:04) Overcoming the hero complex as a leader

(16:23) How leaders can share ideas without creating directive

(17:31) Achieving psychological safety and accountability

(19:22) Can you have too much psychological safety?

(23:29) How teams can create psychological safety

(27:00) Modeling vulnerability authentically as a leader

(29:27) Closing thoughts and key takeaways

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Disclaimer:

While this podcast is named “Product Therapy,” it is not hosted by licensed therapists or mental health professionals, and it is in no way a substitute for professional mental health services. We recognize the importance of mental well-being and encourage anyone facing personal difficulties to seek support from qualified professionals. See https://findahelpline.com/

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Production:

Production by supermix.io