The Counterintuitive Way to Build a High-Performance Tech Team

Hey there,

What separates a high-performing tech team from an average one? Is it the technical chops of the individuals? The efficiency of their processes? The sophistication of their tools?

Those things certainly matter. But in my experience, there's one factor that trumps them all: psychological safety.

Psychological safety is the belief that you can take risks, make mistakes, and voice dissent without fear of punishment or humiliation. It's the foundation of trust, creativity, and continuous improvement.

Think about the best team you've ever been on. Chances are, it was a team where you felt safe to be yourself. Where you could admit when you didn't know something, or challenge the status quo, or propose a crazy idea, without fear of backlash.

That's the kind of environment I strive to create as a fractional CTO. Because when people feel safe, they do their best work. They're more engaged, more innovative, and more resilient in the face of setbacks.

So how do you cultivate psychological safety on your team? Here are a few key principles:

1. Lead with vulnerability. Be open about your own mistakes and learnings. Show that it's okay to be human.

2. Embrace failure. Treat mistakes as learning opportunities, not grounds for punishment or social shaming.

3. Encourage dissent. Actively seek out opposing viewpoints. Welcome constructive debate.

4. Prioritize learning. Make growth and development a core part of your team culture. Celebrate progress, not just outcomes.

By celebrating failure as learning, we normalize it. We make it safe to take risks and own our mistakes. And paradoxically, that leads to better performance and fewer mistakes over time.

Building a high-trust, psychologically safe team isn't easy. It requires consistent effort and modeling from leadership. But the payoff - in innovation, engagement, and results - is well worth it.

What does psychological safety look like on your teams? Hit reply and paint me a picture. I'd love to learn from your approach.

Yours in trust,
Lior

Lior Weinstein
Founder & Head Coach, CTOx

P.S. Psychological safety is just one piece of the high-performance puzzle. In our CTOx Accelerator, we dive deep into the mindsets, rituals, and frameworks that world-class tech leaders use to bring out the best in their teams. If you're ready to level up your leadership and make a bigger impact, I invite you to explore and see if we’re a right fit.