You are in a meeting where 12 people have assembled. The agenda is jam-packed.
The presentation is ready. The decision-making is happening.
However, there’s just one little thing:
Only two people are doing all the talking.
Everybody else is merely nodding.
Is this an effective meeting?
Or are you merely witnessing “silence passing as consent”?
It is not necessary for all employees to be vocal. However, what is vital is to consider why some voices keep on repeating themselves in every single conversation.
The real question here is: What viewpoints are missing from the picture?
Silence Doesn't Always Mean Agreement
In many organizations, an employee might feel reluctant to confront an idea since he or she may not be sure how it would be taken.
The employee may consider the following:
"It has been decided."
"I guess this isn't the right moment to oppose."
"What if I look foolish?"
"Someone else would do it."
This is when the issue of psychological safety arises.
From studies as well as leadership advice on psychological safety, it is evident that employees would be more open to speaking up, asking questions, and expressing concerns where they feel safe to do so without facing any personal consequences.
Moreover, psychological safety does not mean making all conversations comfortable.
In fact, sometimes it means being able to disagree.
The Loudest Voice Isn't Always the Best Idea
The most confident person at a meeting does not always have to be the one who holds the most relevant viewpoint.
This is because the person who has been observing the customer issue quietly for three months may be holding all the answers.
It could be that the newly hired individual sees what seasoned employees have stopped wondering about.
It could be that the introvert holds the answer but just needs a little room to share it.
This is why good leadership and good employee engagement are about more than just getting individuals to speak up.
What Can Leaders Do Differently?
Let’s begin with the actual meeting itself.
Rather than finishing each conversation with:
“How does everyone feel about this?”
How about asking:
“What are we missing?”
“What is a possible downside here?”
“Who might disagree with us?”
Or, in some cases, why not just say to whoever hasn’t spoken up:
“I would love to hear what you think about this.”
According to both leadership literature and best practices, leaders should make a concerted effort to bring out other perspectives and be aware of the speaker while engaging quieter individuals in the conversation.
But the other key piece here is this:
What takes place after people speak?
If an employee finally voices an issue and gets an instantaneous “Sorry, no can do” response, then the entire room gets a lesson too.
It’s called staying quiet.
Listening is not merely hearing what people have to say.
It’s letting them know that what they had to say was worth saying.
At Morpheus Consulting, We See Hiring as More Than Filling a Position
Forming high-performing teams is not just about hiring the right people with the right credentials.
It is about hiring the right people who can think, contribute, challenge, collaborate and develop.
This means that organisations need to go beyond CVs and job descriptions and think deeply about talent acquisition, recruitment strategy, employee engagement and workplace culture.
Because the best teams are not always made up of people who agree with each other.
They are the ones where people feel free enough to say:
“I disagree.”
And so the next time you enter a room full of twelve people and only two of them are speaking, do not get excited by the lack of disagreement.
Stop.
Look around the room.
And then ask yourself:
“Which ideas is my team not voicing?”
Sometimes, the best idea in the room comes from the one who has not yet spoken.
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