Courageous Candor
Nik Lewis
USC Professor & Leadership Expert
USC Marshall professor researching emotional intelligence & how leaders build trust, teamwork and honest dialogue.
About this experience
What if psychological safety wasn’t about being “nice,” and candor wasn’t about being “harsh,” but both were skills your team could build together to unlock innovation?
In this interactive experience led by USC business professor Dr. Nik Lewis, your team will explore the relationship between psychological safety and brutal candor, and why innovative teams need both in balance. Through fast-paced activities, structured discussion, and shared reflections, participants will learn how to speak up with clarity, listen without defensiveness, and create norms that make honest dialogue possible across roles and power dynamics.
Price $3,000 for up to 20 people
Headcount:
*Headcount is editable later
This experience is U.S.-only. Please select other experiences if you have a global team.
You will be able to place a free '48-hour hold' on your preferred date & time.
Need more information before you book?
Get a quote
Hosted virtually
Live
Sessions are
not pre-recorded
not pre-recorded
Perfect for in-person, remote and distributed teams.
Pick this experience when…
Your team is defaulting to harmony or struggling to give direct feedback without tension. This experience is especially helpful when innovation feels stalled, ideas are not being challenged, or people are holding back concerns.
What to expect during the experience?
Nik will guide your team through interactive exercises that make psychological safety and candor tangible. You will start with a quick warm-up to ground you in the experience and surface where your team tends to hold back. Then, through small-group practice and debriefs, participants will explore what it looks like when safety and candor fall out of balance, and practice tools to bring them back into alignment using clear feedback, courageous questions, and behaviors that strengthen psychological safety in everyday moments.
The session closes with a team reflection where participants commit to one practical behavior they will apply going forward.
Nik Lewis
USC Professor & Leadership Expert
Dr. Nik Lewis is a professor of Organizational Behavior at USC’s Marshall School of Business, where she teaches leadership and emotional intelligence. Her work focuses on how emotional intelligence helps leaders build stronger teams, foster trust, and motivate others. Nik brings practical experience from managing cross-functional teams in the Department of Defense and from her consulting work helping organizations navigate the human dynamics of leadership and teamwork.
"This experience gave our team a shared language for speaking honestly while still maintaining trust."
Melissa
Director of Product
March, 2026
"The activities made it clear how psychological safety and direct feedback work together to unlock better ideas."
Alicia
Head of Strategy
February, 2026
"Courageous Candor helped our team move past polite agreement and start having the conversations that actually improve our work."
Jason
Engineering Manager
February, 2026
"Our team walked away with practical tools to challenge ideas respectfully and speak up with confidence."
Jason
VP of Operations
March, 2026
Price $3,000 for up to 20 people
Headcount:
*Headcount is editable later
This experience is U.S.-only. Please select other experiences if you have a global team.
You will be able to place a free '48-hour hold' on your preferred date & time.
Need more information before you book?
Get a quote
Hosted virtually
Live
Sessions are
not pre-recorded
not pre-recorded
Perfect for in-person, remote and distributed teams.
Why choose this experience
Make Meaningful Connections
Create an environment where your team can recharge, grow, and continuously improve together. Strengthen bonds while fostering habits that support long-term learning and renewal.
Elevate Team Performance
Turn strategy into action by refining how your team works every day. Strengthen execution, improve effectiveness, and build momentum to achieve more together.
Understand Team Dynamics
Clarify roles, align strengths, and bring in fresh perspectives to ensure your team is set up for success. Build a dynamic team structure that adapts and thrives.
Foster Psychological Safety
Create a team culture where everyone feels comfortable sharing ideas, asking questions, and taking risks.
Learn Communication Skills
Get your message across clearly and listen with intent to improve teamwork and avoid misunderstandings.
Think & Innovate Creatively
Encourage fresh ideas and problem-solving by fostering a mindset of curiosity and innovation.