"I’ve Never Gotten a Complaint in Five Years”
At first glance, it sounds like a badge of honor. A leader says, “I’ve never gotten a complaint in five years.” Cue the applause… right?
Not so fast.
In today’s workplaces, a lack of complaints isn’t proof of strong leadership, it’s often a red flag that your people don’t feel safe to speak up. Silence, after all, doesn’t mean satisfaction. It often means fear.
🧨 When Silence Speaks Louder Than Words
Eight of my students in leadership responsed to the prompt, "A leader says ‘I’ve never gotten a complaint in five years.’ Sounds great, but is it a red flag?". As future leaders, they argued that leaders who receive no critical feedback for years are likely operating in a culture of fear, disengagement, or learned helplessness.
Here’s why it matters:
No feedback = no trust. If employees don’t feel safe to speak up, they won’t. That’s not harmony, it’s hesitation.
Surface calm hides deeper issues. From toxic leadership to favoritism, unspoken problems fester when people are afraid of consequences.
Innovation suffers. Teams without trust rarely take risks, speak up, or share bold ideas.
Attrition climbs. People eventually leave environments where their voice doesn’t matter.
“If you have an open-door policy but no one walks through it, the issue might not be the door, it’s the leader behind it.”
✅ What Trust Actually Looks Like
One respondent offered a more nuanced view: maybe, just maybe, a complaint-free track record reflects a truly healthy, proactive culture. But even then, the only way to know is to actively measure psychological safety.
So what should leaders do instead?
Model vulnerability. Admit when you’re wrong. Show your own growth.
Normalize feedback. Make feedback part of your rhythm, not just performance reviews.
De-center yourself. Create space for others to speak without judgment or ego.
Validate vulnerability. Don’t just “hear” the feedback, hold space for the emotion behind it.
Co-create change. Feedback without action is just lip service.
A culture of feedback doesn’t begin with employee courage. It begins with leadership accountability.
Final Thought
If your team never speaks up, don’t celebrate, it might be time to look in the mirror.
P.S.
If you’re serious about building trust, feedback, and inclusive leadership in your organization, let’s talk. I help leadership teams go beyond lip service and build real cultures of accountability. Or start by downloading my free white paper, Inclusive Leadership Trends for 2025 for practical, research-backed steps to get started. 📩
