Anton Guinea
Entrepreneur, Speaker, bestselling author, and founder of The Guinea Group of Companies. For over 15 years, Anton has helped leaders move their teams to become psychologically safe, physically safe and overall better versions of themselves.
Have you ever stopped to think about whether your team actually feels safe to speak up at work?
I ask this question because I learned the hard way that safe teams don’t just appear. They are built with care, trust, and deliberate action. After nearly losing my life in a workplace incident years ago, I made a promise to myself: I would dedicate my work to helping leaders make safety both physical and psychological something that’s lived every day, not something that’s written on a poster and forgotten.
Building safe teams through intentional practices
I’ve seen organisations put in place physical safety rules and still struggle with people keeping quiet about hazards or mistakes. The missing piece? Intentional leadership practices. Safety is about more than procedures. It’s about people trusting each other enough to speak up. Studies such as this one on proven tactics for improving psychological safety show how simple leader behaviours like active listening and admitting your own mistakes change the way teams behave.
Inside my own work, I focus on helping leaders shift from reactive to deliberate. A big part of that is encouraging open discussion, which I explore further in breaking the stress cycle at work. If leaders can model openness under stress, it sets the tone for everyone else. That’s intentional leadership at work.
Creating a culture where people feel safe
Culture doesn’t live in slogans. It lives in day-to-day conversations. If team members feel they will be shut down, they stop contributing. But if they feel safe, they keep bringing ideas. I’ve seen organisations thrive simply by taking key steps to create a safe space for your team. That might mean leaders showing vulnerability, or simply starting each meeting with a question that invites honest discussion.
Google’s Project Aristotle highlighted how safe cultures support stronger collaboration. You can read more about that in project aristotle what leaders can learn. The takeaway is simple: when people feel safe, they perform better, and teams innovate more quickly. I often say that safety is a performance multiplier, not just a wellbeing measure.
The role of leadership in team safety
One thing I stress is that leadership about being real, present, and consistent. McKinsey’s report on the critical role of leadership development in safety makes clear that leaders shape whether teams feel safe or not. That’s a responsibility we can’t avoid.
I’ve written before about practical strategies to cultivate psychological safety, because this isn’t theory, it’s action. It might mean admitting when you don’t have the answer. It might mean giving credit openly. It might mean encouraging the quieter team members to share. Small actions add up to a safer team.
How I help leaders and teams take action
Through speak safe training program, I work with organisations to turn these ideas into practice. The program is about creating workplaces that are psychologically safe, legally compliant, and emotionally intelligent. Teams that complete this training leave with the skills to speak up, the confidence to listen, and the trust that their words matter.
If you’re leading a team, I encourage you to explore this option. We also provide opportunities to book anton directly for workshops and speaking events. It’s one thing to talk about safety. It’s another to make it real with your leaders and teams.
Bringing it back to you and your team
Ask yourself: do my team members feel safe to admit a mistake?
Do they feel safe to challenge me if I get something wrong?
If the answer isn’t a clear yes, then there’s work to do.
You might start by reading how leading organisations foster psychological safety or looking at the role of team members in building safe teams. These resources give you practical direction that you can apply immediately.
If you’d like support, reach out through the contact page. Building safe teams is my life’s work, and I’d be glad to help you create a culture where people don’t just show up they thrive because they feel safe in your leadership approach.
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If you would like to learn more about Anton or The Guinea Group, please click here to book into Anton’s calendar, to:
UPGRADE your Mindset
UPSKILL your Leadership
UPLIFT your Teams