By Nomathemba Pearl Dzinotyiwei

What is the easiest way to destroy psychological safety in a team?

Punish the person who tells the truth.

On paper, many organisations claim to value openness. Leaders often repeat familiar phrases:

“We have an open door policy.”

“We welcome alternative views.”

“Please challenge ideas.”

These statements appear in leadership town halls, strategy presentations, and corporate values statements. They signal a culture that celebrates debate, learning, and innovation.

But employees do not judge culture by what leaders say.

They judge culture by what leaders reward, tolerate, and punish.

And that is where the real story of organisational power begins.

The Invisible Rules of Power

In many teams there are problems that everyone can see.

A flawed decision.

A failing process.

A toxic behaviour.

An unrealistic strategy.

People discuss these things quietly in corridors, WhatsApp groups, or private conversations after meetings. There is often widespread agreement that something is wrong.

Yet when the topic arises in a meeting, the room becomes strangely quiet.

Heads nod politely.

The discussion moves on.

The issue remains unchallenged.

From the outside it may look like alignment or consensus.

But often it is something else entirely.

It is learned silence.

The Person Who Speaks

Every team has someone who eventually breaks that silence.

Perhaps they care deeply about the organisation’s performance.

Perhaps they value integrity over convenience.

Perhaps they simply cannot ignore what they see.

So they raise the issue.

They ask the uncomfortable question.

They challenge the flawed assumption.

They name the problem that everyone knows exists.

In theory, this is exactly what leaders claim they want.

In reality, it often triggers a predictable response.

The individual who speaks up becomes labelled.

“Difficult.”

“Negative.”

“Not aligned.”

“Not a team player.”

Their behaviour is framed not as courage or accountability, but as disruption.

Soon the consequences follow.

They are excluded from key conversations.

Their contributions are dismissed more quickly.

Their career momentum quietly slows.

Sometimes the punishment is subtle.

Sometimes it is not.

But the message spreads rapidly through the organisation.

The Lesson the Team Learns

People watch what happens.

And they learn.

Not from the corporate values poster on the wall.

But from the power dynamics playing out in front of them.

The lesson becomes clear:

Silence is safe.

Compliance is rewarded.

Dissent is punished.

Meanwhile, colleagues who remained silent during those meetings often experience a very different trajectory.

They are seen as “aligned.”

They are described as “collaborative.”

They receive opportunities, visibility, and recognition.

From a career perspective, their behaviour appears far more rational.

And slowly a culture begins to form.

When Optics Replace Truth

Once employees understand the political landscape, many begin to adapt strategically.

They become careful about what they say in meetings.

They learn which topics are “safe” and which are dangerous.

They start protecting their personal brands.

Conversations shift from substance to optics.

People focus on how things look, rather than what is actually happening.

The result is a form of organisational theatre.

Meetings are filled with polite agreement.

Problems are discussed privately rather than publicly.

Leaders hear curated information rather than reality.

And over time, the organisation loses something essential:

honest signal.

Why This Is Dangerous for Leaders

When dissent disappears, leaders do not become more effective.

They become more isolated from the truth.

The information that reaches them has already been filtered through layers of political caution.

Risks are softened.

In conversations after meetings. There is often widespread agreement that something is wrong.

Concerns are diluted.

Bad news travels slowly.

This creates the illusion that everything is under control.

Until suddenly it isn’t.

History is filled with examples of organisations that collapsed not because they lacked intelligence or talent, but because they lacked truthful feedback.

Innovation suffers.

Decision-making deteriorates.

Problems grow quietly underground until they become crises.

Ironically, the very leaders who claim to want challenge and debate often end up leading the quietest rooms.

What Real Psychological Safety Looks Like

Psychological safety is not created by slogans or open-door policies.

It is created by how leaders respond when someone disagrees.

When an employee raises a difficult point, leaders send a powerful cultural signal.

Do they become defensive?

Do they question the person’s motives?

Do they punish the messenger?

Or do they demonstrate curiosity?

Do they ask questions?

Do they explore the concern openly?

Do they thank the person for raising a difficult issue?

In that moment, everyone in the room is watching.

Because culture is not built through statements.

It is built through behaviour under pressure.

The Leadership Test

Strong leadership is not measured by how comfortable meetings feel.

It is measured by whether people can challenge ideas without fear of punishment.

The leaders who build resilient organisations understand that disagreement is not a threat to authority.

It is a safeguard against blind spots.

They create environments where the person who raises the uncomfortable truth is not isolated, but respected.

Because they know something many organisations forget:

Organisations rarely fail because too many people spoke honestly.

They fail when everyone learns that silence is the safest strategy.

Reflection

Have you ever seen someone punished for telling the truth at work?

What happened to the culture of that organisation afterwards?