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.
What happens to trust on your team when a single sentence lands the wrong way?
I’ve spent years in rooms where a leader’s tone did more damage than any policy. A short, sharp “why did you do that” shut people down. A steady “walk me through your thinking” opened the door. Words change body language. They change what gets reported, and what gets buried. If you want fewer near misses, fewer blow-ups, and a team that speaks up early, you need a shared language of safety.
Here’s my direct take: trust grows when our words feel safe, clear and fair. It falls when our words feel sharp, vague or punishing. Simple as that.
Why language shapes safety
People watch every cue we give them. A raised eyebrow. A sigh. A loaded “fine”. Those cues tell them if it’s safe to share a concern or a mistake. If the cues say “risk”, they go quiet. If the cues say “you’re safe here”, they speak up sooner and problems get fixed faster. That is why I teach leaders to use plain, respectful language that lowers the temperature and keeps the facts front and centre.
If you like practical tools, try a conversation toolkit for preventing work-related stress for prompts that help leaders check in without blame.
What does this mean day to day? It means we replace loaded phrases with safer ones that still hold the line. It means we build habits around questions, consent, reflection and clarity. And it means we practise until those habits are automatic under pressure.
What trust sounds like
Trust sounds like curiosity not accusation. It sounds like shared standards not fear. Here are phrases I reach for because they work:
- “what are you seeing that I’m not?” — invites data without forcing a defence.
- “can I offer an observation?” — asks for consent before feedback, which keeps people open.
- “what would make this safer to try?” — moves the group to conditions not blame.
- “how do we test this without hurting anyone or anything?” — builds a safety check into delivery.
- “what’s the small step we can take by friday?” — keeps action clear and time-bound.
Notice the pattern: questions over statements, specifics over generalisations, and shared problem solving over finger pointing. If you want more examples and context, I’ve written about how leaders can use safer language as a leader, and how safe conversations can grow trust. You can read have safer conversations at work for practical dialogue moves you can start using today.
Words that close distance
Some phrases close the gap between levels and roles. I lean on these because they keep me humble and make it easy for others to be honest:
- “I might be wrong, help me test this.”
- “tell me if I’ve missed a risk.”
- “what would make you comfortable raising this next time?”
- “thank you for calling that out.”
- “let’s fix the process before we judge the person.”
These small shifts do two things: they model care, and they keep the work organised around facts. If your goal is a team that speaks up earlier, start with language. If you’re building a broader trust plan, here’s a helpful internal read on how to build a more trusting culture.
What the research says about words and teams
I’m a fan of field evidence over slogans. If you want a clear summary of what helps teams work better, read what makes teams work from Google’s research program on team effectiveness. One of the strongest signals they found was psychological safety. That lines up with what I see in the room: when people feel safe to ask questions, share a half-formed idea, or admit a mistake, performance improves.
For practical leadership moves that support that safety, here’s practical ways to build psychological safety with simple routines you can try in your next stand-up.
Teach the language until it sticks
Talking about language is one thing. Making it stick is the real work. That’s why I built speak safe training for organisations that want leaders and teams to practise these conversations live. We run the real scenarios. We slow the moment down. We get reps in until safer language shows up without thinking, even when pressure spikes.
If your organisation is ready to make this standard practice, we can plan a roll-out that fits your people and your risk profile. If you want me in the room to kick things off, you can book a leadership keynote and we’ll set the tone across the whole group on day one.
Make feedback safer without going soft
You can hold a high bar and keep people safe at the same time. The trick is to keep feedback clear, time-bound and owned by the receiver. My rule: the receiver decides if the message landed. So I’ll say, “here’s what I’m seeing, here’s the effect, here’s what good looks like by tuesday — what did you hear?” Then I listen. If it didn’t land, I try again, more specific and with fewer words. If you need a structure to start from, this guide on practical ways to build psychological safety pairs well with team norms from what makes teams work.
Inside my programs we also rehearse “consent to coach” lines because they work: “ok if we take five minutes to review that call now or would later today be better.” That small choice gives people a say and keeps their brain out of fight or flight.
Keep conversations calm under pressure
Pressure is where leaders are tested. If your voice gets tight, people go quiet. If your words stay steady and fair, people bring problems early. I’ve written about staying calm many times, and if you need a quick primer, start with have safer conversations at work and then practise with your team.
For tricky conflict moments, this piece on how to resolve conflict in three steps pairs nicely with the language swaps above. Add a short listening block — thirty seconds where you don’t interrupt and you’ll notice the whole room settle.
Ready to teach your leaders a language that makes people feel safe and keeps work on track? Book me to run this with your team. You can book a leadership keynote. Prefer a quick chat first? get in touch here.
Please click the image below if you’d like to chat about what leadership means to you
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