Women Leaders Psychological Safety: Real Feedback Guide

Women Leaders Psychological Safety: How Kerry Siggins Turned “You’re Erratic” Into Her Best Leadership Lesson

Last updated: September 3, 2026

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Executive Summary: The word that stung most in StoneAge CEO Kerry Siggins’ toughest feedback moment was the word that was true. Here’s her litmus test for real feedback, how she builds psychological safety without losing accountability, and how women leaders navigate the double bind.

Quick Takeaways:

• If feedback “stings,” there’s probably truth in it worth examining
• Psychological safety and accountability aren’t opposites — done right, they build each other
• The double bind is real: women who are direct risk being called aggressive
• Influence matters more than being right — and it changes how feedback lands
• U.S. employee engagement hit a decade-low of 31% in early 2026

Jump to: The Feedback Story · Spotting Valid Feedback · Safety vs. Accountability · The Double Bind · Action Plan · FAQ

As an executive leadership coach with over 30 years of experience (MA, MFT, PCC) working with Fortune 50–1000 companies, I’ve watched brilliant women leaders freeze in two different ways: some can’t tell which feedback to take seriously and which to release, and others have been burned so badly by being called “too direct” that they’ve gone quiet. Both patterns erode psychological safety — theirs, and their team’s.

This is Part Two of my conversation with Kerry Siggins, CEO of StoneAge and author of Talk With Trust: How to Own Feedback, Spark Growth, and Build Stronger Teams. In Part One, we walked through her SHARES framework for difficult conversations. Here, we go deeper into the moment that started it all — the day a trusted colleague told her she was “erratic” — and what she’s lear