The Cost of Silence

Several years ago, I went through one of the most difficult experiences of my professional career.

A few weeks before Christmas, our CEO informed my boss that an outside IT consulting firm would be coming in to help evaluate our technology operations. At the time, I was the IT manager.

The announcement raised a lot of questions. Why were they being brought in? What were they evaluating? What would happen afterward?

Unfortunately, very few answers were provided. Weeks went by. My CTO and I knew meetings were taking place with executives and the consulting firm, but we weren't involved in the conversations. Our team knew something was happening and naturally started asking questions. The problem was that we didn't have answers for them because we weren't getting answers ourselves.

As the weeks passed, uncertainty filled the gaps that silence and a lack of communication left behind. My mind began creating stories and worrying about questions. Was the company outsourcing IT? Were positions being eliminated? Had we done something wrong? I later learned that many members of the team were asking themselves similar questions.

Then one day, my CTO and I received an invitation to an all-day meeting with several executives and representatives from the consulting firm. We were asked to provide strategic plans, budgets, and operational documentation beforehand, but still weren't told the purpose of the meeting or what the consultants would be doing for us.

When the meeting began, the consultants immediately started asking questions about our operations, strengths, weaknesses, and responsibilities. At one point, one of them commented that I seemed tense and asked why. I answered honestly with "no one has told us why we're here, and these questions feel pretty intimidating." The consultant then asked several leaders in the room to explain the purpose of the meeting. One by one, they admitted they weren't entirely sure themselves.

The consultant finally clarified that they had been brought in to help the executive leadership team better understand the work being done by the IT department and identify opportunities for improvement. The moment I heard that explanation, much of the anxiety I'd carried for weeks disappeared. The actual purpose wasn't nearly as frightening as the stories uncertainty had allowed me to create. But by then, the damage had already been done.

The Leadership Lesson

That experience taught me something I've never forgotten: People struggle with handling uncertainty.

When communication is absent, people naturally fill in the blanks. Rarely do they assume the best. More often, they imagine worst-case scenarios. As leaders, we sometimes avoid difficult conversations because we don't have all the answers yet. We worry about saying the wrong thing, creating concern, or sharing information too early. But silence creates its own message.

When people don't know what's happening, they often assume the worst. I've seen this play out during technology outages, organizational changes, project delays, and strategic shifts. The teams only need to receive consistent communication, even when the message is simply "Here's what we know. Here's what we don't know. We'll update you again tomorrow." Communication doesn't eliminate uncertainty. But it does eliminate unnecessary fear.

Reflection Question

Think about your team, your clients, or even your family. Where might people be filling in the blanks because you're not communicating what you know? Sometimes the most valuable leadership action is helping people understand what's happening around them.

P.S. I've learned that most technology problems aren't really technology problems, they're communication, process, and alignment problems. That's why The Outlier Team helps organizations develop technology strategy, improve Microsoft 365 adoption, and create systems that help teams work better together. When you're ready for help in these areas, reach out.

Perry Myers
​The Outlier Team​