Mindset Monday | October 12, 2026 | Influence & Communication Month

“I want everyone to feel comfortable speaking up. My door is always open.”

Most leaders who say this mean it. Then a meeting ends without a single concern raised. A flawed plan moves ahead. Weeks later, someone says, “A few of us thought this might happen.”

The leader wonders why nobody spoke sooner.

The team may have been wondering something else: What would have happened if we had?

An invitation to speak is only one part of the conversation. People also draw on what they have seen before: how the leader responds to disagreement, who gets interrupted, whether concerns are taken seriously, and what happens to the person who delivers difficult news.

When an Invitation Feels Risky

A 2026 study in the Journal of Organizational Behavior examined how employees respond when leaders ask for their input. The researchers found that the invitation was associated with different responses depending on how dominant employees perceived the leader to be. When perceived dominance was lower, the invitation could encourage people to speak. When it was higher, the same request could create anxiety and silence.

That is a useful challenge for leaders. You may experience your question as an opening. Someone else may experience it as a test—especially if they have seen you dismiss an objection, defend a decision too quickly, or reward agreement with more warmth than candour.

Intent matters. So does the experience people have when they take you up on your invitation.

What Silence Can Tell You

Silence has many possible causes. People may need time to think. They may disagree with one another, lack information, or prefer a private conversation. A quiet meeting alone cannot tell you why a team is quiet.

Look instead for patterns:

• Do concerns surface only after decisions are final?
• Do people share their real view with peers but offer a safer version to you?
• Does the same small group speak in every meeting?
• When someone raises a problem, do they receive curiosity—or an immediate explanation of why the decision is already sound?
• Can people point to a time when speaking up led to a visible response?

The last question is especially revealing. People do not need every suggestion adopted. They do need evidence that their input was heard and considered.

Three IronMind Competencies That Open the Conversation

Emotional Intelligence starts with noticing your own reaction. When someone challenges a decision you care about, do you become impatient, speak faster, or rush to defend it? A brief pause can give you room to respond with curiosity.

Interpersonal Effectiveness shapes the invitation itself. “Any concerns?” at the end of a crowded meeting may be too broad and too late. Try a more useful question: “What are we overlooking?” or “Which part of this plan will be hardest to put into practice?” Allow thinking time, and offer a way to respond after the meeting.

Relationship Management is tested in what follows. Thank the person for raising the issue. Explain what you will examine, when you will respond, and what you ultimately decide. If you cannot act on the suggestion, say why.

A leader can ask an excellent question and still lose trust by letting the answer disappear.

Research on team psychological safety offers another practical insight: in a longitudinal field experiment, leaders who shared criticism they had received about their own performance helped strengthen team psychological safety. Seeking feedback alone did not have the same effect in that experiment. Showing how you have listened may carry more weight than saying you are willing to listen. Read the study.

Your 30–60–90 Leadership in Action Plan

Days 1–30: Notice the Pattern

Observe two or three team meetings. Who speaks first? Who is interrupted? What happens immediately after someone raises a concern? Pay particular attention to your first response when you hear something uncomfortable.

Ask team members individually: “What makes it easier or harder to raise a concern with me?” Give them time to answer. Thank them without correcting their account.

Choose one behaviour to change—for example, waiting until others have spoken before stating your view.

Days 31–60: Change the Invitation and the Response

Before a decision is finalized, ask one specific question about its risks or practical consequences. Give people a moment to think, then invite different perspectives. Make it possible to follow up privately when the subject is sensitive.

When a concern is raised, respond in three steps: thank, clarify, commit.

“Thank you for raising that. Help me understand where you see the greatest risk. I’ll look into it and come back to you by Thursday.”

Keep the commitment, even if the answer is that the plan will proceed.

Days 61–90: Make Follow-Through Visible

At the start of a meeting, revisit a concern the team raised: what you learned, what changed, and what did not change. Invite people to test whether the response addressed the issue.

Ask again whether concerns are reaching you early enough. Look beyond the number of comments in meetings: are more people contributing, are problems being raised while there is still time to act, and do people know what happened to their input?

Final Reflection

“My door is open” expresses an intention. Your response to the next difficult truth shows people whether the invitation is real.

This week, consider: What did someone risk the last time they disagreed with you—and what did your response teach everyone watching?

Strengthening Minds. Empowering Leaders.