Imagine yourself leading a critical Monday morning meeting.

You stand at the front of the room, feeling energized, confident, and clear.

Your vision is exciting. The strategy is bold.

You passionately outline the next ambitious goal.

You pause, looking around the room, expecting dialogue, curiosity, even pushback. But instead, you’re met with a deafening silence.

The room feels thick.

Eyes are downcast, glancing away or quietly fixed on their screens.

People shift slightly in their chairs.

You sense hesitation, reservation, and even discomfort lingering unspoken in the air.

Yet no one says a word.

At first, you think, “Maybe they just need time to digest.”

But deep down, you sense something else—something troubling.

Silence isn’t agreement.

In my years coaching senior leaders, especially across tech and engineering companies here in the Nordics, I’ve seen silence often mask deeper issues: hesitation, fear of disagreement, or self-protection.

What you’re experiencing is what I call the Trust Gap.

Understanding the Trust Gap through the 5 Dysfunctions of a Team

Patrick Lencioni, in his influential book The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, vividly describes how trust is the foundation of high-performing teams.

Without trust, everything else collapses:

1. Absence of Trust – Your people hide their vulnerabilities and mistakes.
2. Fear of Conflict – The team avoids meaningful debates, fearing discomfort or repercussions.
3. Lack of Commitment – Without genuine discussion, people pretend to agree but don’t truly buy in.
4. Avoidance of Accountability – With no real commitment, team members don’t hold each other responsible.
5. Inattention to Results – Ultimately, individuals focus more on personal agendas rather than collective success.

Notice the pyramid-like structure: every dysfunction above is built on a shaky foundation of low trust. Silence in your meetings is your first red flag.

Why Silence Is a Leader’s Worst Enemy

I’ve been there personally.

Early in my leadership journey, I led a team that never pushed back or disagreed openly.

At first, I mistook this politeness for alignment. But soon, productivity dropped, innovative ideas disappeared, and energy drained away.

Eventually, a brave team member shared privately,

“We weren’t sure how you’d react if we challenged your ideas.”

That moment was my wake-up call.

The silence wasn’t golden; it was dangerous. It cost us innovation, productivity, and morale.

How to Break the Silence and Rebuild Trust

As a leader, your first step is awareness. Reflect on your team’s dynamics honestly:

• When was the last time someone openly disagreed with you?
• Do your team meetings feel authentic or carefully rehearsed?
• Does your team openly share mistakes, or do they carefully hide them?

The answers give clues about your current level of trust.

Next Step: Closing the Trust Gap

I’m hosting a practical, actionable session to help senior leaders like you bridge the Trust Gap:

🎯 The Trust Gap: Why Your Team Isn’t Fully Open With You (And How to Fix It)

📅 May 6 | 🕒 8:00 AM CET | 💻 Live on Zoom

You’ll learn to identify subtle signals of low trust, use frameworks like Lencioni’s Five Dysfunctions to diagnose your team, and walk away with practical tools to rebuild psychological safety.

👉 Reserve Your Spot Here

Trust is not a soft skill — it’s your most important leadership asset.

Let’s build it intentionally, before silence turns into lost opportunities.

Kindly,

Florin