The Dark Side of Psychological Safety: Understanding and Addressing "Comfort Creep"
Creating teams that feel secure and valued is an aspiration shared by leaders everywhere. A sense of psychological safety—where team members feel comfortable sharing ideas, voicing concerns, and taking risks without fear of judgment—is critical to fostering innovation, trust, and collaboration.
But what happens when psychological safety goes too far?
Few people talk about the unintended consequences of prioritizing harmony over performance. I call this phenomenon "Comfort Creep." It’s what happens when a team’s desire to create a “safe” environment unintentionally leads to lowering the bar for accountability and results.
Let’s unpack how Comfort Creep takes hold, its impact on teams, and how to strike the right balance between psychological safety and high performance.
What Is Comfort Creep?
Comfort Creep describes the slow, subtle shift that happens when the focus on harmony begins to overshadow what matters most: performance.
Imagine a team where creating a “safe” environment starts to mean avoiding difficult conversations, shying away from criticism, and choosing consensus over innovation. While everything might seem fine on the surface, this dynamic often leads to stagnation, underperformance, and a reluctance to challenge the status quo.
The paradox of psychological safety is that it’s not just about making people feel comfortable—it’s about making them feel empowered to confront discomfort in the pursuit of growth.
How Comfort Creep Happens
I’ve experienced Comfort Creep firsthand.
On one of the teams I led, my direct reports and I received feedback that we were seen as too tough and overly direct in our communication. The perception was that we prioritized results over relationships, leaving some team members feeling unsupported.
In response, we decided to shift our approach. We leaned into creating an environment where everyone felt heard, respected, and supported, especially during difficult conversations.
At first, this change felt great. Meetings were more harmonious, morale seemed higher, and the team gelled well. But over time, I noticed an unintended consequence: we had overcorrected.
The team became overly comfortable. Instead of tackling challenges head-on, we tiptoed around issues to avoid ruffling feathers. Projects began dragging, critical feedback was diluted, and our emphasis on harmony led to a lack of accountability.
The result? Performance and results suffered.
The Warning Signs of Comfort Creep
Comfort Creep doesn’t happen overnight—it’s a gradual process. Here are some warning signs to watch for:
Avoidance of Tough Conversations: Team members hesitate to give honest feedback or challenge ideas for fear of disrupting the “safe” environment.
Consensus Over Progress: Decisions are watered down to achieve agreement, even if the outcome isn’t the best for the team or project.
Reduced Accountability: Standards and expectations are quietly lowered to avoid discomfort or conflict.
Stagnant Innovation: Without the friction of differing perspectives, creativity and innovation begin to stall.
If any of these sound familiar, your team might be experiencing Comfort Creep.
How to Combat Comfort Creep
Recognizing Comfort Creep is the first step. Addressing it requires intentional actions that balance psychological safety with accountability and high performance. Here’s how my team and I course-corrected:
1. Ask Deeper, Specific Questions
We moved beyond generic feedback and started asking targeted, meaningful questions. Instead of asking, “How are we doing?” we probed deeper with prompts like:
“What are we letting slide that shouldn’t be?”
“Where do we need to raise the bar?”
“What risks are we avoiding that could lead to breakthroughs?”
These questions shifted the conversation from maintaining harmony to identifying areas for improvement, creating space for honest dialogue about performance.
2. Encourage Healthy Conflict
We actively redefined disagreement as a sign of engagement and progress rather than a threat to psychological safety. During meetings, we highlighted that disagreement wasn’t just tolerated—it was expected.
By normalizing conflict as part of the creative process, we gave team members permission to challenge ideas and push boundaries without fear of retribution.
3. Reframe Psychological Safety as a High-Performance Zone
We made a critical mindset shift: psychological safety isn’t just about feeling good—it’s about fostering an environment where honest, direct feedback is celebrated.
To reinforce this, we publicly acknowledged and applauded team members who provided thoughtful, constructive feedback, even when it was difficult. This helped create a culture where discomfort was seen as a stepping stone to growth rather than something to avoid.
The Challenges of Breaking Free from Comfort Creep
The transition wasn’t easy. Team members bristled at first, as our new approach disrupted the comfortable dynamics we had unintentionally created. Tough conversations became messier, and there were moments of resistance.
But discomfort, when handled correctly, fuels progress.
Over time, we began to see the payoff:
Better Ideas: Team members felt empowered to challenge assumptions, leading to more innovative solutions.
Tighter Execution: With a renewed focus on accountability, projects moved forward with greater urgency and clarity.
Real Trust: True trust isn’t about avoiding conflict—it’s about knowing that disagreements can be resolved constructively and that everyone is aligned on shared goals.
Key Lessons Learned
Through this experience, I learned valuable lessons about balancing psychological safety and performance:
Comfort Isn’t the Goal—Growth Is: Psychological safety should create an environment where team members feel secure enough to take risks, not one where they avoid discomfort.
Discomfort Drives Breakthroughs: Healthy tension and constructive conflict are essential for innovation and progress.
Feedback Fuels Accountability: Honest, specific feedback—delivered with care—ensures that individuals and teams stay aligned on high standards.
Revisit and Recalibrate: Team dynamics evolve, and so should your approach. Periodically check in to ensure the balance between safety and accountability remains intact.
Moving Forward: A Call to Action
Psychological safety remains a cornerstone of high-performing teams, but it’s not enough on its own. Leaders must actively guard against Comfort Creep by fostering a culture that embraces discomfort as a catalyst for growth.
If you’re a leader, I encourage you to reflect on your own team dynamics. Are you prioritizing harmony at the expense of performance? Are tough conversations being avoided?
Take a moment to ask yourself and your team:
“What are we letting slide that shouldn’t be?”
“How can we challenge each other more effectively?”
“Are we embracing discomfort as a tool for growth?”
By addressing these questions and making intentional changes, you can create a team environment that balances psychological safety with high performance—a space where both trust and excellence thrive.
Discomfort Isn’t the Enemy
At its core, Comfort Creep is a reminder that leadership isn’t about making everyone comfortable; it’s about creating an environment where people feel empowered to stretch, grow, and perform at their best.
So, embrace the messiness, lean into the hard conversations, and remember: discomfort isn’t the enemy. It’s the catalyst for breakthroughs.