Want a team that tells the truth? Thank the first person who admits a mistake out loud.

The first admission sets the price for every one after it. Whatever happens to that person is what everybody else is watching, and they will quietly work out whether honesty is safe here. Gratitude in that moment counts for more than any speech about openness, because it is evidence rather than policy. Nobody believes a rule; they believe what happened to the last person who tried.

When somebody owns an error this week, thank them before you touch the error itself. Say plainly that telling you early helped. Then make sure nothing unpleasant happens to them because of it.