PMI Hawaii In-Person Luncheon 

Title: Psychological Safety: When “Any Questions?” Gets Actual Questions

Speakers: Nikki Yamauchi, JD, PMP & Evan Patek, Co-Owners of Tailored Leadership Solutions

Date: Thursday, February 19, 2026, 12:00-1:00pm

Location:  HMSA Center, 818 Keeaumoku St, Honolulu, HI 96814, Logistics and parking information will be available upon registration.

Topic Description: Learn how to build psychological safety - a critical component of high-performing project teams. This training equips project managers with practical tips to create environments where project team members feel safe to ask questions, speak up, and take smart risks. Psychological safety is a key part of building trust that unlocks better decision-making, innovation, and team performance.

Speakers Bios: Tailored Leadership Solutions is a local leadership and development company that helps organizations improve their employee engagement and retention, team performance, and overall business profitability. Issues in these areas are often attributable, at least in part, to under-developed management. This is because in many organizations, managers are promoted into their positions based on their technical skills, not their ability to lead people. 

We offer leadership development programs that address this problem by helping managers develop the skills and competencies necessary to be effective people leaders through classroom learning and individualized coaching. Our programs emphasize the actual application of leadership skills through deliberate practice, feedback, and support. Our focus is helping leaders apply what is learned in the classroom to their day-to-day work to create actual lasting behavioral change. 

NIKKI YAMAUCHI, JD, PMP, Co-Owner, Tailored Leadership Solutions 

Nikki holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from Loyola Marymount University, and a Juris Doctor from University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law. After passing the Hawaii State Bar Exam, Nikki practiced law in the commercial real estate space before moving to the banking industry, where she started out providing in-house counsel support. During her time in the finance industry, Nikki also earned her Project Management Professional (PMP) certification, as she recognized there was a need for strong leaders who were able to make change and achieve results. As she grew her career in banking, she led projects and managed teams in various areas, gaining expertise in both the business and operational sides of banking. 

After 10 years leading teams and developing others in the banking industry, Nikki transitioned to consulting work to apply her skills and knowledge to diverse industries. Her area of focus is on leadership development – taking conceptual learning from the classroom to real-world application and helping leaders put theory into practice. Nikki works with leaders through their day-to-day challenges, tailoring her coaching to their leadership development needs.

Nikki is actively involved with the Honolulu Chamber of Commerce Young Professionals program and sits on the March of Dimes Young Professional Board. She is also a former PMI Hawaii Board of Directors member.

EVAN PATEK, Co-Owner, Tailored Leadership Solutions 

After graduating from the University of Hawaii, Evan began his career in Hawaii's largest health insurance company. He advanced to the National Accounts Team before transitioning into employee benefits consulting. As an employee benefits consultant, he helped clients design comprehensive benefits programs, leveraging his knowledge of underwriting and insurance practices to reduce overall benefits costs while enhancing employee experience. Evan became deeply interested in all aspects of employee experience and engagement (not just benefits) during this time. 

Recognizing that strong leadership is crucial for positive employee experiences, Evan now consults with organizations on people-focused development. He specializes in leadership coaching and tailoring training content to help leaders apply new concepts in their daily work. Evan, a certified Employee Engagement Specialist, is committed to helping others find fulfillment. He also enjoys coaching boys' volleyball at his alma mater, Roosevelt High School.

Learning Objectives:  

• Participants will be able to define “psychological safety” 
• Participants will understand the research behind, and the benefits of, creating psychologically safe environments for a project team
• Participants will identify techniques that that can be used by project managers and leaders to create psychological safety