Even if you consider your work environment to be safe, it can be difficult to muster the courage to voice issues, especially concerns, to your boss and colleagues. It’s not you; it’s your brain. The human brain is wired to be ultra-sensitive to threats.

And if you don’t feel psychologically safe, it can be even harder to speak up.

However, you can increase your confidence and find your voice by building your empathy and curiosity muscles. The key is to adopt new habits, which when layered together can help you provide your own psychological safety.

For more on how this works, read my Forbes article, Speak up: How to increase your confidence with empathy and curiosity muscles, which was posted on January 25, 2021.