November 20, 2026 - Mark Graban

Description

Dr. Deming told us to drive out fear. Most improvement programs stop there, and people still don't speak up. They stay quiet for two reasons: it isn't safe, or it isn't worth it because nothing will change. Fear and futility. Futility is more common, and it's usually the leader's doing: ideas never answered, problems quietly absorbed, an andon cord nobody pulls. That silence tax shows up as late problems, unreported near misses, and good people who stop trying. Drawing on his upcoming book The Silence Tax, Mark Graban shows what silence costs, which leader habits create it, and how to shift from catching people to coaching them. You'll leave with behaviors to test with your team this week. Learning Objectives - Distinguish the two causes of silence -- fear of speaking up and futility from nothing changing -- and identify which one is driving the quiet in your own organization. - Estimate what silence is costing you, using the problems found late, defects seen coming, and near misses never reported that never appear on a P&L. - Recognize the everyday leadership habits that produce silence, including the ones that come from good intentions: correcting too fast, asking for ideas without answering them, and reacting to bad news in ways that teach people not to bring it. - Apply specific coaching behaviors that make speaking up both safe and worth it, and test them with your team within a week. Presentation Rating: Beginner