Organizations tend to paint a perfect organizational culture, but behind the scenes, a different story is being told. According to the latest Gallup State of the Global Workforce Reportit was found that “quiet abandon“” or “employees who don't go above and beyond” is still prevalent. The report showed that 62% of employees worldwide are disengaged.

Quitting is usually the result of a toxic work culture and/or burnout. Taking proactive measures is key to fostering an environment where employees thrive at every level of the organization.

At the core of all this is the power and role of authenticity and empathy in leadership: to create and cultivate one psychologically safe work environment. Authenticity can be perceived differently depending on who we are and our experiences. When inauthenticity is present, it can sometimes be easy to spot. Signs of inauthenticity are when a leader's behavior is inconsistent in different settings; as well as their actions that do not match their words.

So how can leaders create a psychologically safe work culture supported by authenticity and empathy? Here are five powerful ways to do just that.

Related: Why you should care about psychological safety in the workplace

1. Encourage the culture of speaking and discourage the culture of silence

or the culture of silence arises when there is a lack of psychological security. This can be quite dangerous as it results in failure to innovate, higher turnover and lower performance to name a few. A culture of silence is not only one in which people cannot speak, but one in which people deliberately refuse to listen to others.

Educate a speech culture encouraging the expression of ideas, asking questions, reporting errors and challenging the status quo.

Here are some methods to do this:

• Use a combination of open direct feedback and anonymous feedback.
  • Direct Open Feedback: Encourage employees to express their opinions/thoughts without feeling judged.
  • Anonymous Feedback: Create channels like Google surveys that can be used to get feedback from employees. Anonymous feedback can discourage GroupThink which can be helpful in producing more genuine feedback. “GroupThink” is when an individual simply agrees with the consensus view rather than engaging in critical thinking.

Leaders who appear authentic and empathically it is the key to contributing to a culture where everyone's voice is heard. This means that integrity is a consistent theme in all aspects of your life. Showing up with empathy also means really putting yourself in someone else's shoes to understand what motivates them and understand their feelings with compassion and support. These types of leaders are secure within themselves, which allows them to welcome viewpoints that may be uncomfortable and those that challenge them. Insecure leaders do not welcome the input of team members because they may perceive them as individuals challenging their authority.

2. Listening humbly and showing people you care

An effective leader is one who listen to understand rather than listening to answer. This ensures that their team members feel truly heard and understood. It is also important to ensure that conversations between managers and team members take place in equal measure. When managers speak first, team members will be less likely to volunteer any ideas that conflict with the leaders. This is why it is encouraged that leaders speak last and leave room for every person in the room to have an equal opportunity to speak.

In Edmondson's book, she highlights Eileen Fisher's workplace meeting structure that de-emphasizes hierarchies and promotes equal participation. Therefore, encouraging what is called “a leader in every chair”.

Related: Do your employees feel safe? Here's how to create a psychologically safe workplace

3. Make failure safe

Staying innovative in today's world requires allowing people to “the freedom to failNow this is not about taking uncalculated and careless risks that lead to business failure, but rather taking calculated ones.

Here are some examples of how leaders can make failure safe:

• Solution Focused Answer: It is important to ensure that error recognition comes from a place of finding solutions to the error(s) accompanied by an element of support.
• Workshops designed for risk taking: Workshops focused on how to take calculated risks can make taking risks seem less scary and creates a culture of innovative thinking.

Instead of looking at failure as something to completely avoid or fear, look at it failure as a normal part of learning and experimentation.

4. Vulnerability of the model

It is important to be open about the areas where you lack expertise as a leader. During team strategy meetings, do your best to solicit ideas from your team and be open to their thoughts and guidance. This will create a safe space for future meetings without the fear of belittling or repercussions.

Many leaders struggle with the question, “How can I to be vulnerable without sharing too much?”

It is important to note that leaders should share without oversharing. Leaders must be sensitive to the boundaries associated with them. Research professor and vulnerability expert Brene Brown says it perfectly, “Vulnerability minus boundaries is not vulnerability.” For example, a manager may share that she is having a bad day because of some personal issues, but she makes sure not to share the intricate details of her personal issues.

Vulnerability has the ability to create a the culture of faith and inclusion, which is ultimately a psychologically safe work environment.

Related: Psychological safety is essential to your team's success – Here are 4 ways to create it

5. Get to know and celebrate people

“The extra mile is never crowded” as the famous saying goes. This is something leaders need to consider when it comes to recognition and evaluating team members. Monetary incentives play a role in properly recognizing employees, but the use of words is something memorable when it comes from a genuine place. Acknowledging accomplishments immediately, celebrating teams' work publicly, and sending a personalized thank-you note are some great ways to show recognition.

Authentic assessment leads to a psychologically safe work culture. Each individual has their own personal preferences regarding receiving positive feedback. Creating a reward system where each employee has the freedom to choose their own incentives creates a more personalized feel.

After all, when employees are happy, everything falls into place and flows beautifully and efficiently. And it all starts with a deliberate effort to always find ways to create a workplace culture that every employee can be proud of and therefore thrive in all areas, not just their career.