Ready to test the presence of psychological safety at your organisation?

Most boards operate under the dangerous illusion that silence equals stability, yet true psychological safety is built on deliberate structures rather than mere goodwill. Without an objective measure of your governance health, you may be unaware of critical information being filtered or delayed before it reaches the Chair.

By completing our free Psychological Safety Assessment, you will move beyond guesswork to receive an objective comprehensive breakdown of your board’s performance across six critical pillars – including Structural Safety, Strategic Alignment, and Risk Integrity.

This data-informed insight allows you to identify exactly where “politeness” is rewarding concealment and where your reporting lines might be choking.

Why It Matters

True safety allows executives to share critical truths without career penalty.

Have every board member fill it out independently today to receive via an immediate email your confidential personalised Psychological Safety Score and discover if your board is truly rooted to weather the storm or just being kept in the dark.

Once you have received the results, use our Chair’s Guide to create Psychological Safety to improve your results. Alternatively, reach out to us to have a no-obligation discussion.

Take Control

Move beyond the “all-green dashboard”. Complete the assessment now to receive your Overall Psychological Safety Score and a detailed pillar breakdown.

Below are the 24 questions which take about 5 to 7 minutes to complete – the results will be emailed to you immediately.

Our executives have explicit authority to "stop the line" and escalate critical risks directly to the board without being penalised. *Governance Tip: The Board’s 'Andon Cord'. In high-reliability organisations like Toyota, any worker can pull a cord to stop the entire production line if they spot a defect. For a Board, this means granting executives explicit authority to 'stop the line' on a project or strategic initiative if they identify a critical risk. This mechanism ensures that surfacing bad news is seen as a professional duty of care to the institution, rather than an act of insubordination toward the CEO.NeverSometimesAlways

Our CFO and Head of Internal Audit have formal, "dotted line" reporting routes to the board that do not require CEO permission. *Governance Tip: The Triangle of Influence. In a vertical hierarchy, information is often 'choked' because it must pass through the CEO before reaching the Board. To ensure transparency, your CFO and Head of Internal Audit should operate within a 'Triangle of Influence' - maintaining a direct, 'dotted line' reporting route to the Audit and Risk Committees. This diagonal reporting path ensures that critical financial and control data remains unfiltered, providing a secondary channel for truth when the vertical line failsNeverSometimesAlways

The board routinely uses external consultants (e.g., culture auditors) to interview executives confidentially, providing a "buffer" for raw feedback. *Governance Tip: The Neutral Buffer. In high-stakes environments, executives may hesitate to share 'raw' feedback directly with the Board for fear of damaging their relationship with the CEO. By routinely appointing independent consultants - such as culture auditors or board evaluators - you create a safe 'buffer' channel. These experts can identify 'weak signals' and systemic issues that often remain hidden in formal presentations, ensuring the Board is not treated like 'mushrooms' - kept in the dark and fed filtered information.NeverSometimesAlways

We mandate independent audits of critical systems and ensure the board sees raw reports rather than CEO-edited summaries *Governance Tip: Ensuring Unfiltered Audit Transparency. To maintain true board-level oversight, mandate that independent auditors present their findings directly to the Audit Committee or Board. While a CEO's management response is necessary for context, the Board must review the original, unedited report first to prevent the 'filtering' of critical risks or systemic vulnerabilities.NeverSometimesAlways

Structural Safety Score

We actively reward the principle of "Bad News by Rocket, Good News by Rickshaw," ensuring critical issues reach us immediately. *In high-performing boards, the 'sin' is not the problem itself, but the concealment of it. This principle establishes that while good news can wait for scheduled meetings (the Rickshaw), critical risks and bad news must be escalated to the board immediately (the Rocket). We are assessing whether your board culture explicitly rewards this speed or if bad news is currently 'choked' by vertical reporting linesNeverSometimesAlways

The board actively rejects curated management presentations and insists on seeing raw data and analysis of shortcomings. *Governance Tip: Cultivating a "Show Me" Board Culture. Move beyond 'governance by PowerPoint.' Effective boards should require direct access to raw performance data and unfiltered gap analyses. By rejecting overly polished management summaries, the Board ensures it is making decisions based on operational reality rather than executive optimism, allowing for more honest discussions regarding organisational shortcomings.NeverSometimesAlways

We have a culture that explicitly discourages "niceness" or "walking on eggshells" if it prevents difficult, honest conversations. *Governance Tip: Prioritising Candor Over Comfort. Prioritise Radical Candor over 'polite silence.' In high-functioning governance, a culture of 'niceness' can be a liability if it leads to the suppression of dissenting views. Boards must explicitly reward stakeholders for raising uncomfortable truths and challenging the status quo, ensuring that critical risks are addressed head-on rather than avoided to maintain social harmony.NeverSometimesAlways

We explicitly communicate that an executive's duty of care is to the company’s long-term sustainability, not the CEO’s ego. *Governance Tip: Aligning Fiduciary Duty with Longevity. Clarify that Fiduciary Duty is owed to the organisation and its long-term viability, not to any individual leader. To safeguard this, the Board must foster an environment where executives feel empowered - and required - to prioritise the company’s health over the CEO’s personal preferences. Explicitly defining this 'duty of care' protects the organisation from ego-driven decision-making and ensures sustainable value creation.NeverSometimesAlways

Cultural Approaches

Board members visit the "shop floor" and engage with staff at any time without a CEO "chaperone" present. *Governance Tip: Validating Ground Truth via Direct Engagement. To bridge the gap between boardroom reports and operational reality, establish a 'Direct Access' protocol. While respecting management boundaries, Board members should have the freedom to engage with staff and observe 'shop floor' operations without a CEO chaperone. This provides an unfiltered view of organisational culture and health, ensuring that the Board’s strategic perspective is informed by the lived experience of the workforce.NeverSometimesAlways

We have direct forums to hear from middle management (those who feel the "winds of the real world" first) to verify executive narratives. *Governance Tip: Triangulating Truth via Middle Management. Avoid the 'Executive Echo Chamber' by creating structured, direct forums with middle management. As those who execute strategy while managing front-line realities, middle managers often identify market shifts and operational friction months before they reach the C-Suite. By hearing from them directly, the Board can verify executive narratives against 'ground-truth' data, ensuring that strategy remains responsive to the real world.NeverSometimesAlways

We spend time getting to know our senior leadership team personally outside of formal structures to build "raw" trust. *Governance Tip: Building Relational Capital for Crisis Resilience. Invest in informal relational capital with the senior leadership team. While formal board structures ensure compliance, 'raw' trust is built in the spaces between meetings. By getting to know leaders as individuals outside of the boardroom, directors develop a deeper understanding of executive temperaments and motivations. This foundation of mutual trust allows for more courageous conversations and swifter, unified action when the organisation faces high-pressure crisesNeverSometimesAlways

Board members validate executives' dilemmas (e.g., loyalty vs. truth) to make them more willing to share difficult information. *Governance Tip: Normalising the "Executive Dilemma". Active validation of executive dilemmas is a powerful tool for information flow. When the Board acknowledges the natural tension executives face - such as the conflict between loyalty to a CEO and the duty of truth to the Board - it reduces the 'fear of betrayal.' By explicitly creating a safe harbor for complex truths, the Board lowers the barrier for leaders to share high-stakes, difficult information before it becomes a terminal problem.NeverSometimesAlways

Relational Approaches

We use 1-10 scale questions to measure confidence in projects and specifically probe the "gap" between the score and 10. *Governance Tip: Quantifying the "Confidence Gap". Utilise scaled inquiry (1–10) to move beyond binary 'Yes/No' updates on critical projects. The true value lies not in the score itself, but in the 'Gap Analysis' - asking specifically, 'What is preventing this from being a 10?' This technique forces a granular discussion on hidden risks, resource constraints, or cultural friction that high-level status reports often gloss over.NeverSometimesAlways

At the end of meetings, we ask presenting executives: "Was there anything you wanted to say that you didn't have a chance to say?". *Governance Tip: Capturing the "Unspoken Margin". Always reserve space for the 'Last Chance' inquiry. By closing every executive presentation with the question, 'Was there anything you wanted to say that you didn't have a chance to say?', the Board signals that it values raw insight over rigid agendas. This open-ended prompt often surfaces the 'nagging doubts' or 'minor signals' that executives might otherwise filter out to stay within time constraints or stick to the formal narrative.NeverSometimesAlways

We institutionalise sessions where management (including the CEO) leaves the room as a standard, non-hostile agenda item. *Governance Tip: Normalising the Executive Session. Institutionalise 'In-Camera' or 'Executive' sessions as a standard, recurring item on every board agenda. By making the CEO and management's departure a routine procedure rather than a 'special' event, you remove the stigma of hostility or secrecy. These sessions provide directors with a dedicated space to reflect, consolidate thoughts, and discuss sensitive leadership or succession matters without the pressure of an executive presence.NeverSometimesAlways

We don't just accept forecasts; we insist on agreeing on the inputs and assumptions that went into the "black box". *Governance Tip: Dismantling the "Black Box" of Forecasting. Reject 'blind faith' in financial or operational models by interrogating the underlying assumptions. A forecast is only as reliable as its inputs; therefore, the Board’s role is to reach an explicit agreement with management on the variables - such as market growth rates, churn, or inflation - that drive the final numbers. By opening the 'black box,' the Board moves from passive receipt of data to active validation of the organisation’s strategic logic.NeverSometimesAlways

Meeting Processes & Questioning

When receiving bad news, the Chairperson stays centred and calm (like kelp) to avoid knee-jerk reactions or panic . *Governance Tip: Leading with "Non-Anxious" Presence. Adopt the 'Kelp Principle' during organisational crises: stay rooted and centered while allowing the waves of bad news to wash over you without being swept away. When the Chairperson reacts with calm curiosity rather than panic, it prevents a 'contagion of anxiety' from spreading through the executive team. This composure creates the psychological safety necessary for management to be honest about failures early, knowing the Board will respond with focused problem-solving rather than knee-jerk blame.NeverSometimesAlways

When someone finally admits a problem, the board responds with curiosity and support rather than punishment. *Governance Tip: Rewarding the Courage of Disclosure. Treat the admission of a problem as critical intelligence rather than a performance failure. When the Board responds to bad news with 'disciplined curiosity' and support, it reinforces a culture of transparency. By focusing on root-cause resolution rather than immediate punishment, the Board ensures that management remains willing to surface 'buried' risks early - before they escalate into irreversible crises.NeverSometimesAlways

The board publicly intervenes if a CEO tries to shut down a dissenting executive, signalling that the boardroom is a safe space. *Governance Tip: Protecting the "Right to Dissent". Active boardroom mediation is essential for psychological safety. If a CEO attempts to shut down or 'career-limit' a dissenting executive, the Board must publicly intervene to protect the speaker. By signaling that the boardroom is a safe harbor for disagreement, the Board ensures that critical alternate viewpoints are not silenced by hierarchy, thereby protecting the organisation from the dangers of an executive echo chamber.NeverSometimesAlways

The board is willing to remove a "toxic high performer" who delivers results but obfuscates information or destroys culture. *Governance Tip: Prioritising Cultural Integrity over Short-Term Gains. The Board must be willing to exercise its ultimate authority: removing the 'Toxic High Performer.' Leaders who deliver financial results while simultaneously obfuscating data or damaging organisational culture create a 'governance debt' that eventually leads to systemic failure. By prioritising cultural health and transparency over individual output, the Board protects the organisation’s long-term viability and signals that integrity is non-negotiable.NeverSometimesAlways

Behavioural Signals

The board actively sets direction and engages with crisis management playbooks rather than passively consuming reports. *Governance Tip: Transitioning from Passive Consumer to Active Strategist. Shift the Board's role from 'Review and Approve' to 'Active Governance.' In times of stability and crisis alike, the Board should be a co-author of the organisation's direction - not just a recipient of its reports. By stress-testing crisis management playbooks and engaging in scenario planning before they are needed, the Board ensures it can add strategic value when high-stakes decisions are required, rather than simply 'rubber-stamping' management’s reactive measures.NeverSometimesAlways

We maintain a boundary where we are close enough to "smell the smoke" (detect issues) without meddling in daily operations. *Governance Tip: The "Noses In, Fingers Out" Principle. Master the balance of 'High Proximity, Low Interference.' Effective governance requires the Board to be close enough to the organisation to 'smell the smoke' (detecting early warning signs of cultural or operational drift) without 'grabbing the hose' (meddling in daily management). By maintaining this boundary, the Board ensures it has the situational awareness needed for oversight while preserving the executive team's mandate to lead and execute.NeverSometimesAlways

During peacetime, we create a culture where the focus is on solving the issue rather than rank or hierarchy. *Governance Tip: Decoupling Hierarchy from Problem-Solving. Build a 'Peacetime' culture of Meritocracy. During periods of stability, the Board must ensure the organisation institutionalises a 'best idea wins' approach, regardless of rank. By explicitly discouraging hierarchical gatekeeping when solving problems, the Board fosters a resilient operational rhythm. This ensures that when a crisis ('wartime') inevitably hits, the pathways for rapid, honest communication and collaborative problem-solving are already well-greased and functioning.NeverSometimesAlways

The Chairperson personally conducts exit interviews for senior executive departures to independently investigate why they left. *Governance Tip: Capturing the "Unfiltered Exit". Institutionalise the Chairperson-led Exit Interview for all senior executive departures. While HR-led processes are standard, an independent investigation by the Chair provides a unique opportunity to uncover 'cultural friction' or systemic issues that a departing leader might be hesitant to share with management. This practice ensures the Board receives an unvarnished perspective on the organisational climate and the effectiveness of the CEO’s leadershipNeverSometimesAlways

Governance Principles

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