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 noticed how much easier feedback feels when you know it’s safe to speak up?
That simple sense of safety, of being heard without fear, changes everything. I’ve seen it in boardrooms, on construction sites, and even during coaching sessions. When people feel safe, feedback stops feeling like a critique and starts feeling like a gift. And that’s exactly what it should be: a chance to grow, not a reason to retreat.
Why feedback feels like a gift in safe environments
Let’s be honest, most people don’t enjoy hearing feedback. It’s human. Our brains are wired to protect us from threats, and feedback, if delivered in the wrong setting, can feel like one. But in workplaces where psychological safety is strong, something powerful happens: people stop seeing feedback as judgment and start seeing it as care.
I’ve always believed that when a leader shows genuine curiosity, asking What can I do better? instead of Why didn’t you do this?, it completely changes the energy of the conversation. It shifts the focus from blame to growth. That’s what great leaders do, they make it safe for others to speak, even when the topic is uncomfortable.
There’s plenty of research that supports this. Studies like this one in BMC Psychology show that teams with higher psychological safety report stronger collaboration and more honest feedback exchanges. That’s because when people feel heard, they contribute more ideas and take more responsibility for improving them.
Creating trust through open feedback
Feedback only feels safe when it’s built on trust. I’ve worked with teams where the first step wasn’t teaching feedback skills, it was rebuilding trust that had been lost through years of silence or fear. Without trust, feedback feels like a weapon. With trust, it feels like a mirror.
One of my favourite principles is what I call the feedback mirror. When you give feedback, you’re not just reflecting someone’s performance, you’re reflecting your care for their success. And when your team sees that your intent is genuine, they’ll start to mirror it back to you. Over time, this mutual trust builds what I like to call the feedback loop of safety.
If you’re curious about strengthening this kind of communication, I’ve written before about how safe conversations can strengthen relationships.
How psychological safety improves feedback conversations
It’s easy to underestimate how much our environment shapes the way we speak. In teams that lack safety, people spend their energy calculating risk, asking themselves, Should I say this? Will it be used against me later? instead of focusing on improvement. But in safe teams, people share ideas and feedback freely.
Psychological safety isn’t a buzzword, it’s the foundation of effective feedback. A Harvard Business School study found that teams with strong psychological safety are far more likely to challenge each other constructively and maintain higher performance over time. That’s exactly what I see in the field, when teams feel safe, they speak honestly, and that honesty drives progress.
That’s why I developed the SPEAK SAFE Workshop. It’s designed for leaders and teams who want to build cultures where feedback fuels growth, not fear. If you’ve ever wished your team would speak more openly, this workshop will give you the tools and frameworks to make that happen.
Building a speak up culture in the workplace
Building a speak up culture isn’t about forcing people to talk. It’s about creating conditions where they want to. That means showing empathy, being consistent, and following through when someone takes a risk to share their truth. The first time a leader reacts calmly to tough feedback, the entire team learns that honesty is welcome.
Leaders often ask me where to start. My answer is simple: start with yourself. If you model openness, your team will too. Ask for feedback in front of your team. Say things like, “I know I don’t always get it right, what’s one thing I could improve this week?” You’ll be amazed how quickly this kind of vulnerability creates connection.
We’ve explored before how tough feedback can be delivered without damaging morale. The key is tone, timing, and trust. You can’t fake safety, it’s earned one conversation at a time.
How leaders create safe spaces for honest feedback
I often think about how leaders can model safety through their words and behaviour. It starts with small things, thanking someone for feedback, asking open questions, or admitting your own mistakes. These are the micro moments that add up to big change.
As I shared in an earlier piece on psychological safety, safety doesn’t remove accountability, it strengthens it. When people feel safe, they take ownership because they know mistakes won’t be punished, they’ll be learned from. That’s how growth happens.
It’s something I live by too. Whether I’m running a workshop, speaking to a room of executives, or representing Australia as a triathlete at the World Champs, I remind myself that pressure reveals character. Staying calm under pressure isn’t just a skill, it’s leadership in motion.
Closing thoughts on speaking safely and leading bravely
If there’s one thing I’ve learned over two decades of working with leaders, it’s this: people don’t want perfect leaders, they want present ones. Leaders who listen, care, and make it safe to speak. Because when people feel safe to speak, feedback becomes a gift, and that’s where growth begins.
If you’re ready to build a safer, stronger feedback culture in your team, let’s start the conversation. You can book me here to deliver a session for your leaders, or reach out via the contact page to learn more about our programs.
And if you want your team to experience these ideas in action, I’d love to see you at the SPEAK SAFE Workshop. It’s where we turn safe conversations into lasting change.
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