Great leaders reframe stress and poor leaders amplify it. (Discover the phrases that foster psychological safety.) High stakes moments test true leadership. Words matter. “Are you ready to lead under pressure?” Poor leadership creates cultures of fear. It leads to burnout and attrition. Great leaders foster psychological safety. This drives innovation and loyalty. Here are phrases great leaders use: ✅ “I’m noticing we’re both getting tense. Should we take a break?” ↳ Balances empathy with practicality. ✅ “Let’s focus on what we can fix first.” ↳ Prioritizes solutions, not panic. ✅ “What can we learn from this for next time?” ↳ Turns setbacks into stepping stones. ✅ “I may have contributed to this. Help me understand where.” ↳ Leads with accountability. ✅ “What’s the most immediate blocker we need to address?” ↳ Targets urgency with clarity. ✅ “Here’s another way to think about this.” ↳ Encourages creative problem-solving. ✅ “How can I help you solve this?” ↳ Collaborates, not commands. And what poor leaders say instead. ❌ “You need to calm down.” ↳ Ignites defensiveness. ❌ “This is a complete disaster.” ↳ Amplifies fear, not focus. ❌ “You should have known better.” ↳ Shames instead of supports. ❌ “It’s not my fault.” ↳ Destroys trust. ❌ “Why isn’t this done yet?” ↳ Focuses on blame, not barriers. ❌ “I already told you that.” ↳ Dismisses dialogue. ❌ “That’s not my problem.” ↳ Erodes team cohesion. ↳ Replace blame with curiosity. ↳ Ask “What’s the root cause?” ↳ Not “Who messed up?” ↳ Pause and reframe. ↳ Use stressful moments. ↳ Model calm decisiveness. ↳ Own your impact. Even a simple “I could’ve handled this better” builds trust. Great leaders foster psychological safety. This drives innovation and loyalty. Which leadership phrase do you need to STOP or START using? ♻️ Share to spread wisdom and tag leaders who inspire you. ➕ Follow me for daily leadership insights.