Silence Says More Than You Think

If you’re the one talking the most in every meeting, your team probably isn’t listening — they’re waiting for you to stop.

This isn’t about being humble. It’s about being useful.

What silence signals:

• Trust
  You believe your team knows what they’re doing — and you’re not here to rescue them mid-sentence.

• Restraint
  You’re not using your voice to flex, fill gaps, or chase control. You’re letting the work speak.

• Focus
  You’ve made the decision. You don’t need to explain it eight different ways.

What constant talking signals (even if you don’t mean to):

• You’re still figuring it out.

• You don’t fully trust the room.

• You’re addicted to performance.

• You’re afraid of not being “useful.”

• You haven’t built a team that can carry the conversation.

But silence isn’t passivity. It’s design.

The most effective leaders talk less — and make the words count when they do.

They leave enough space in the room for clarity to emerge, tension to surface, and ownership to shift where it belongs.

And when they do speak?

It’s to unblock.

Not to dominate. Not to prove. Not to repeat what everyone already knows.

In your next leadership meeting, try this:

Then be quiet.

That one line will teach you more about your team — and your leadership — than any all-hands update ever could.

— Peter