Leadership Tools for Cultivating Psychological Wellness Within Teams

When stepping into leadership, new managers undergo an important transition, from directly helping clients to supporting the people who help clients. This shift requires a different set of skills, and the qualities that make someone an exceptional helper don’t always translate automatically into effective leadership. For many new leaders, this change can feel both exciting and challenging. In this article, we explore how new managers can navigate that transition successfully, why psychological wellness in teams matters, and practical steps leaders can take to foster well-being and safety within their teams.

While the shift from frontline worker to leader can be challenging, focusing on listening, offering support, and building trust can help to create a safe and healthy environment. So, what contributes to the psychological wellness of a team? If you are thinking of an environment where staff can admit mistakes without fear of judgment, take calculated risks safely, and feel that their efforts are valued rather than undermined¹, you’re on the right track. When employees experience psychological wellness, it strengthens their ability to learn, reduces stress, and ultimately improves the quality of service delivered to clients.

Even with the best intentions, new leaders can run into obstacles, especially when listening isn’t prioritized.

Ben is a new manager in a social services organization supporting youth. He’s excited to make positive changes that he believes will benefit both youth and the staff. In his first month, he tells the team they need to immediately shift their language to be more trauma-informed, along with several other changes. Although his intentions are good, staff feel caught off guard and begin to view Ben as “bossy” now that he’s in a leadership role. Resistance grows, trust drops, and people stop speaking up in meetings. Ben notices the shift and starts to feel discouraged, unsure how to rebuild trust or help the team feel safe sharing their perspectives.

Ben could have learned a great deal about his new team if he had set aside his assumptions about what needed to be fixed and taken the time to truly listen. Effective listening means recognizing that our own ideas might not reflect the full picture, and that we can all have blind spots. Below are some strategies new leaders can use to listen to staff in ways that build trust and foster psychological safety within their team.²

Listen to understand not respond: As a new leader, when getting to know your staff or doing check-ins, try to listen to understand the person without planning your response in advance. If your mind wanders, which is normal, gently bring your attention back to the person speaking.

Clarify your understanding: Articulate what you have heard by paraphrasing the person’s words. Allow them to confirm whether your paraphrase is accurate.

Share your perspective and problem solve: Share your perspective and ensure that you and your team members clearly understand each other’s points before moving on to collaborative problem-solving. Ask, “what’s the best way forward?” and take time to create a joint plan at this stage.

Remain Curious: Curiosity is a valuable strength for leaders. Take time to understand your team’s thoughts before making assumptions or drawing conclusions. You can start with questions like, “Tell me more.” This approach not only encourages people to express themselves openly but can also generate ideas that might not surface without curiosity.

A mini pulse check is a simple, intentional way for new leaders to see how their teams are doing emotionally and receive feedback on improving day-to-day work. These questions can be open-ended, allowing team members to share their thoughts with follow-up conversations and collaborative solutions, or they can be completely anonymous. Below are some example questions for a mini-pulse check.

Mini pulse checks align with the Canadian National Standard for Psychological Health and Safety. This standard emphasizes 13 psychosocial factors that impact worker mental health including employee engagement, psychological support, respect, and rewards and recognition. For a full list and description of these factors, see this article on Psychological Health & Safety Factors for Organizational Excellence from CSS HSA. 

It is vital that leaders follow up on the results of these mini pulse checks with concrete actions. These could include clarifying roles and expectations, adjusting workloads, or recognizing contributions. When staff see that their input leads to changes, it builds trust and reinforces that their voice matters. 

The need for inclusion and belonging is fundamental to human beings and an important aspect of psychological wellness. New leaders can intentionally foster inclusivity within their team to ensure everyone has a voice. Here are some practical strategies:²  

Choose an inclusion booster during team meetings: Have you ever started a new role and felt lost in meetings because of unfamiliar acronyms, or because a few people dominated the discussion? An inclusion booster is a facilitator appointed at each meeting to help team members feel included, clarify information, and ensure that all opinions are heard. This person can outline ground rules, explain terminology, notice who hasn’t spoken and politely redirect those who speak frequently.

Express Gratitude: Leaders often naturally express gratitude when a team member completes a difficult task or achieves a goal. It is equally important to make staff feel valued even when efforts don’t lead to the expected outcome, or when a team member disagrees with you. Genuinely thanking staff for their courage, input, and effort builds trust and creates a safe environment for learning and growth. 

When you think of supervision, it often involves providing administrative, educational, and supportive guidance to staff members. Done well, it can create a strong partnership between the supervisor and supervisee. Trauma-informed supervision recognizes that staff may have experienced personal trauma and are likely exposed to additional trauma through their work. Here are some steps to practicing trauma-informed supervision.⁴

Check-Ins: Use regular check-ins to explore how cases or projects are affecting staff emotionally and practically. Invite the staff to share their thoughts and feelings, without judgment. Support them with pacing, scheduling, breaks, and realistic self-care strategies to reduce chronic stress.

Analyze Together: Walk through staff experiences step by step, not just when things go wrong but also for regular frontline work. Ask the worker’s perspective first, highlight strengths, and explore alternative strategies for the future. This maintains a focus on collaborative learning and problem-solving rather than blame.

Debrief Supportively: After a difficult or new situation, offer a safe space for staff to talk through what happened and validate their feelings and experiences.

Provide Resources: Offer staff access to resources that support their wellness such as Employee Assistance Programs (EAP), support lines, or other mental health resources.

The transition from frontline helper to leader can be both rewarding and challenging, but it presents a unique opportunity to shape a healthy team’s culture. By prioritizing listening, inclusion, trauma-informed supervision, and meaningful feedback, leaders can create environments where staff feel safe, supported, and empowered, ultimately enhancing the quality of care provided to the communities they serve.