Psychological Safety for Black Women in Leadership

Abstract

A psychologically safe work environment allows women to thrive as leaders and fully utilize their skills. When someone has personal psychological safety within themselves and applies it to their leadership aspirations, it gives them additional tools to use on their career journey. This chapter aims to present elements of internal psychological safety that Black women can use on their leadership journey to become successful leaders no matter what obstacles they encounter. The elements are employee empowerment, employee voice, employee connections, and employee meaning. All four elements work together to provide powerful results. These elements allow Black women to be prepared as they navigate and ascend in their careers. The chapter also provides strategies that women can immediately implement on their journey for each one of the elements.