Cultivating Psychological Safety in your Sales Team

What is psychological safety?

Psychological safety is defined as the collective belief within teams that they can take risks, express ideas and concerns, ask questions and admit mistakes without fearing negative repercussions. It creates an atmosphere where open communication and honest dialogue is encouraged, enabling individuals to contribute fully and authentically. Often misunderstood as merely being “nice” or “friendly”, psychological safety is, in fact, crucial for building resilient and high-performing teams.

Psychological safety was coined by Amy Edmondson, a professor at Harvard Business School in 1999. She discovered the phenomenon while studying medical teams in hospitals, where she hypothesized that high-performing teams would make fewer mistakes. However, her research found that the best teams reported more mistakes, with the main contributor being they did not feel safe enough to acknowledge and discuss their mistakes openly and honestly with others in the team and learn from these together.

Given the findings from Edmondson were so profound, since then, psychological safety practices have been adopted by organizations, the main benefit being a contributing factor to high-performing teams.

Google's “Project Aristotle”, a 2012 study on team effectiveness, identified psychological safety as the most important driver of high-performing teams. At the time, this research was significant for several reasons. Mainly because it challenged conventional wisdom and placed psychological safety at the center, during a time when the concept was still emerging. Google’s findings uncovered that it wasn’t who was on the team, but how the team worked together, that impacted the level of performance. This changed the focus away from individualism and towards collective interaction and team dynamics, a paradigm shift in team management and organizational behavior. At the time of Project Aristotle, psychological safety was rooted in academia, primarily Edmondson’s work. However, Google’s corporate application of this seemingly theoretical concept showed its tangible benefits: when team members feel safe to speak up, it results in measureable improvements in teams’ performance outcomes.

Why psychological safety matters for B2B sales teams

For B2B sales teams, psychological safety is about ensuring that each team member feels comfortable taking interpersonal risks. Knowing that you feel safe and can openly share ideas and acknowledge when things haven't gone perfectly, can be transformative.

A culture of openness can make all the difference between stagnation and high performing teams. Here is why it matters:

• Encourages innovation: B2B sales often require creative problem solving. When sales reps aren't afraid to suggest new strategies or challenge the norm, innovative solutions are able to emerge and can set your team apart.
• Accelerates learning: in complex sales processes, learning from setbacks is essential. A no-blame culture turns every setback into a learning opportunity, helping your team refine their approach for the future.
• Strengthens collaboration: trust and open communication lead to more effective teamwork. In B2B sales, where deals involve multiple stakeholders, and intricate negotiations, a cohesive team is better equipped to navigate challenges. 
• Greater customer satisfaction: teams that collaborate openly and transparently, are better positioned to understand and meet customer needs as they are more receptive to receiving and applying feedback.
• Improves retention and engagement: employees who feel heard and supported are more motivated and more likely to stay in their position for longer. Higher retention rates lead to more experienced and confident sales teams that drive better results.
• Boosts accountability: psychological safety fosters a culture of ownership, where team members feel comfortable admitting mistakes and taking responsibility, resulting in continuous improvement and integrity.
• Enhanced mental wellbeing: in high pressure B2B sales environments, the constant pursuit of targets and challenging negotiation can lead to stress and burnout. A psychologically safe workplace allows team members to express concerns, seek support without fear of judgment.

Research, including Google's Project Aristotle, has shown that psychological safety is a key factor in high-performing teams. But how do know how psychologically safe your team is?

Assessing your team’s psychological safety

Before attempting to improve psychological safety, it's essential to measure and understand where your team currently stands to set a baseline. Edmondson's seven-item “team psychological safety” questionnaire (1999) can be used for the assessment, asking participants to answer each question using a 7-point Likert scale (1. Very inaccurate, 2.  Inaccurate, 3. Somewhat inaccurate, 4. Neutral, 5. Somewhat accurate, 6. Accurate, 7. Very accurate):

1. If you make a mistake on the team, it is not held against you.
2. Members of this team are able to bring up problems and tough issues.
3. People on this team sometimes accept others for being different.
4. It is safe to take a risk on this team.
5. It isn't difficult to ask other members of this team for help.
6. No one on this team would deliberately act in a way that undermines my efforts.
7. Working with members of this team, my unique skills and talents are valued and utilized.

Teams embracing psychological safety not only experience a higher morale, but achieve better results. In B2B sales, where each interaction can shape the outcome of a deal, fostering team psychological safety is essential.

Extending your internal culture to client relationships

The impact of psychological safety isn't just confined to your internal team, it also strengthens your client relationships. Here's how:

Authentic communication:

• Transparency with clients: by being open about challenges, insights and strategic decisions, it helps to create deeper and more authentic relationships not only with your co-workers, but the same principle applies with your clients. Clients appreciate knowing they're collaborating with a team that's honest and forthcoming.
• Mutual respect: when your team practices empathy and respect to each other, it naturally extends to client interactions. This respect sets the foundations for long-term partnerships where clients feel valued and understood.

Collaborative problem solving:

• Co-creation of solutions: invite your clients to share their own ideas and perspectives during strategy sessions. When clients are included in these conversations, it reinforces the idea that their input is valued, resulting in greater feedback and better outcomes.
• Continuous feedback: encourage regular, two-way feedback. Just as your team uses internal feedback loops to improve performance, doing the same and going back and forth with giving and receiving feedback with your client, enables a more streamlined approach, enhances client satisfaction and can yield more innovative results.

The main goal of fostering mindful awareness of your team’s psychological safety isn’t just to meet customer needs. But rather, it helps the team to feel confident taking actions that support their success in their roles, which can ultimately lead to better client interactions.

Your toolkit: How to create psychological safety in B2B sales teams

One way psychological safety can be demonstrated is through verbal communication with fellow teammates. It can sound like:

Admitting mistakes or uncertainty:

• “I made a mistake on this, and here’s what I have learned from it.”
• “I don’t know the answer to that, but I am willing to find out.”

Seek feedback and input:

• “I would like your honest feedback on this idea. What do you think could be improved?”
• “Does anyone see any potential issues with this approach?”

Expressing concerns or disagreement, constructively:

• “I see where you are coming from, but I have a different perspective. Can we explore both options?”
• “I am not sure I fully agree, and here’s why. Could we discuss it further?”

Sharing vulnerability or challenges:

• “I am struggling with this task. Could we brainstorm some solutions together?”
• “I felt uncertain about that meeting. Did anyone else feel the same way?”

Here are some tips for building psychological safety that go beyond words and focus on proactive behaviors:

For employees

• Practice active listening: give full attention when your colleagues speak, acknowledge their input, and respond thoughtfully.
• Engage in constructive feedback: offer feedback that is specific, balanced, and focused on actions rather than personal criticism.
• Support team members: show appreciation for colleagues’ ideas and provide encouragement when they take risks or propose challenges.
• Participate in team trust-building activities: join team-building exercises such as ‘’highs and lows’’ discussions, where team members have the opportunity to openly share their successes and challenges.
• Advocate for inclusive conversations: Ensure quieter team members are given the chance to contribute by inviting them to discussions and asking for their opinions.

“Project Aristotle” revealed that leaders play a crucial role in fostering psychological safety by modeling vulnerability, encouraging open dialogue and responding constructively to feedback and mistakes. This behavior influences the team’s dynamics and overall culture. Here are some tips for leaders:

For managers and people leaders

• Encourage open dialogue: set ground rules for meetings that promote open discussion, such as implementing a ‘’no interruption’’ rule to ensure all voices are heard in a group setting.
• Lead by example: demonstrate vulnerability by admitting mistakes and sharing personal learning experiences in team discussions.
• Foster a no-blame culture: instead of focusing on who is at fault, you can reframe these challenges as shared learning experiences through team debriefs.
• Create safe feedback loops: establish a process where employees can regularly provide anonymous or direct feedback to leadership about the work environment.
• Run psychological safety exercises: conduct ‘’failure-sharing’’ sessions where team members discuss past mistakes and the lessons learned from them.

For organizations

• Develop inclusive team norms: establish clear guidelines that promote equal participation, such as rotating meeting facilitators to ensure diverse perspectives.
• Recognize and reward openness: implement a recognition program where employees are acknowledged for taking risks, contributing new ideas or supporting team members.
• Foster cross-functional collaboration: arrange job-shadowing opportunities or inter-team projects to encourage different teams to learn from each other’s perspective.
• Implement mentorship programs: pair experienced sales professionals with newer team members to provide guidance and create a culture of support.
• Host peer-led learning sessions: encourage employees to run workshops on their expertise, reinforcing a culture of continuous learning.

Embracing psychological safety: the B2B advantage

For B2B sales teams, psychological safety is a strategic tool that drives innovation, collaboration and client trust. When your team feels secure and valued, they're better equipped to tackle complex sales cycles, engage meaningfully with leads and create long-term relationships.

By integrating the strategies outlined above, you're enhancing your internal culture and creating an environment for more authentic and productive client relationships. At Salescode, equipping your team with psychological safety is the first step to unlocking sustained growth and success.

Empower your team to speak up, innovate, and drive breakthrough deals, and watch this internal transformation reflect in your client interactions and bottom line.

Are you ready to fuse innovation into your B2B Tech sales? Book a meeting with one of our experts here to start chatting!