The Real Cost of Silent Leaders

Army families used to have a saying when their loved one was on deployment – “no news is good news”. Communication home was never assured, let alone regular so not hearing anything for periods of time was normal. Sadly, when news did come through, it could mean bad news. Whilst things have changed over the years, depending on the mission and the deployment, this adage of NNIGN, remains true for some of our forces today.

However, outside the military, and especially for safety leaders, it’s the reverse. No news is bad news.

When incident reports dry up, it doesn’t mean the organisation is safer. It just means there’s less incident reports. Why? Let’s have a look at one possible reason.

When leaders speak up, something powerful happens: trust builds, teams engage, and risks get called out before they become incidents. When you lead with openness, you invite the same in return. People stop looking over their shoulders and start looking out for one another. They feel seen, valued, and part of something that matters. 

But here’s the catch. Many leaders in safety-critical roles have been taught that strength means saying less. Keep your game face on. Don’t show fatigue. Don’t share uncertainty. Just get the job done.

Let me be clear: silence isn’t neutral, silence breeds risk.

James Humes once said, “The art of communication is the language of leadership.” And in safety, that language needs to be simple, clear and consistent especially when the stakes are high.

I learned that the hard way. Years ago, I found myself in a leadership role where I thought being steady meant staying silent. I kept my own challenges to myself, thinking that would somehow protect the team. I believed I was modelling resilience. What I was actually modelling… was distance.

The shift was subtle at first. People stopped speaking up as often. Team members would say “all good” when clearly, it wasn’t. The silence spread across the team, clouding judgment, blurring reality. I thought silence was strength. But it was just a smokescreen.

Turns out, I’m not alone.

A recent Australian study published in the Journal of Safety Research found that when safety leaders communicated clearly and consistently, employees’ perception of workplace safety improved significantly within just eight weeks. But the inverse is true too: when leaders go quiet, so do their teams. And that silence doesn’t keep people safe it makes risk invisible.

The numbers speak volumes. In Australia, 78% of employees say stress directly undermines their performance at work. Around 71% report that workplace stress bleeds into home life, and 64% say it affects their overall wellbeing. Lack of psychosocial safety is a major contributor to workplace stress and a part of that is leadership silence. When leaders don’t talk about the hard stuff, no one else feels safe to talk about it either.

I often think of it like this: a leader is like a lighthouse keeper. If they don’t tend the light, ships drift blindly into danger. If they stay silent, if the beacon dims, there’s no warning. No guide. But when the light stays on, when the voice is clear, others navigate the obstacles safely.

Leadership is the same.

Your words matter.

Your presence matters.

And your courage to speak especially when it’s hard might just be the signal someone else is waiting for.

Because when the leader finds their voice, the team finds its courage.

And that’s when safety truly shines.

Let me know your thoughts. Have you stayed silent only to realise you shouldn’t have?