Amy Edmondson: Keynote Speaker on Psychological Safety & Leadership
Workplaces thrive when people feel safe enough to speak up, share ideas, and learn from mistakes. Few thought leaders capture this message as powerfully as Amy Edmondson, the Novartis Professor of Leadership and Management at Harvard Business School and a global authority on psychological safety.
Her keynotes go beyond theory, giving leaders a practical framework for creating environments where transparency, trust, and collaboration drive innovation and long-term success.
Why Psychological Safety Matters More Than Ever
The pandemic shifted not only how people work, but also what they expect from leaders. Today’s employees carry concerns about physical safety, mental health, job security, and isolation. Edmondson has spent over 20 years studying these dynamics, showing that organizations thrive when they encourage open dialogue and learning instead of silence and fear.
Her influential book, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation and Growth, highlights how leaders can break down hidden barriers to success by making it safe for employees to voice concerns, share ideas, and admit mistakes. The result? Stronger performance, more engaged employees, and a healthier bottom line. Bringing Amy Edmondson as a speaker can help your organization implement these crucial principles.
A Must-Read for Leaders
In her award-winning book, Right Kind of Wrong: The Science of Failing Well, Edmondson introduces the concept of “intelligent failures.” These are not mistakes to fear but vital stepping stones toward innovation. This is a core theme that you will hear about during Amy Edmondson's keynote speech. By distinguishing intelligent failures from preventable errors, she helps organizations reframe failure as progress, shifting from blame to learning. This perspective is especially valuable for leaders navigating today’s complex, fast-changing environment, where adaptability is key to maintaining a competitive advantage.
From Theory to Transformation
From hospitals to Fortune 500 companies, Edmondson’s research demonstrates that fostering a fearless culture changes outcomes. In healthcare, for example, she documented how shifting language around mistakes—from “error” to “accident” and “investigation” to “study”—helped teams focus on solutions rather than blame. With greater transparency, leaders gained the information they needed to make meaningful improvements.
Her lesson for business leaders is clear: when employees feel safe to share bad news, organizations become better equipped to solve problems, innovate, and grow. An Amy Edmondson keynote shares these real-world insights, showing how to create meaningful change in your organization.
Amy Edmondson Keynote Topics
Every Amy Edmondson keynote is designed to give leaders tools they can apply immediately. Her most requested topics include:
- Leadership in the Face of Uncertainty
- Leading Through Crisis: Leveraging Teaming to Solve Problems and Innovate
- Teaming Toward Innovation Breakthroughs
- Unlocking Growth Through Intelligent Failures
- Want to Improve Your Organization? Make It Fearless
Whether speaking at leadership summits, corporate conferences, or private executive sessions, Edmondson helps organizations flip their mindset from “we don’t have a problem” to “how can we improve?”
Bring Amy Edmondson to Your Next Event
If your organization is ready to embrace transparency, unlock innovation, and build a fearless culture, an Amy Edmondson keynote is the perfect catalyst. With decades of research and real-world insights, she equips leaders to navigate complexity and inspire teams to perform at their best.
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