Minette Norman

Revolutionary leadership that sparks creativity, productivity, and success starts with Psychological Safety: a workplace where everyone feels free to ask questions and share their best ideas. A leading voice in this burgeoning field, Minette Norman offers actionable advice on how to create cultures of radical collaboration, compassionate teamwork, and increased efficiency. Her new book The Psychological Safety Playbook -- an instant #1 Amazon Bestseller in Business Health and Stress – is hailed as “a must-read for anyone who cares enough to lead” by Seth Godin. It’s packed with powerful, airtight lessons for managers and employees alike. Listen to understand, not to respond. Encourage curiosity, and see where it leads. "The world of work could be so much better for everybody," Minette says. "But that’s only possible if people feel safe to speak up, and to be themselves, and to share those crazy ideas."

As a liberal arts major, Minette joined Autodesk, the award-winning software company as VP of Engineering Practice. There, she led 3,500 software professionals in the male-dominated tech industry, where she focused on engineering practices while nurturing a collaborative and inclusive culture. Now, she’s sharing the methods she’s developed. In her dynamic presentations and interactive workshops, she helps executives and employees at every level rethink how we communicate, which accomplishments we reward, and who belongs in leadership roles. This is the first step to inspiring a creative work culture that leads to break-out innovation and leveraging diversity to achieve breakthrough success. 

At her consulting agency, Minette helps leaders build healthy, inclusive companies where everyone feels like they belong. Her first book The Psychological Safety Playbook, co-written with Karolin Helbig, Minette bridges the gap between academic research and actionable guides, emphasizing that psychological safety is about the human experience. In her second book The Boldly Inclusive Leader, out August 2023, she shows how being a compassionate leader who welcomes diversity in all its forms will transform not just the workplace, but the world.

She was named one of the “Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business” by the San Francisco Business Times, and “Business Role Model of the Year” in the Women in IT Awards. She serves on the Board of Directors for Equalize Health, a non-profit devoted to developing medical technologies for impoverished and vulnerable communities worldwide.