The meeting had ended, but the real conversation was happening in the hallway. Employees whispered about the decision just made, one they all disagreed with, but none dared challenge in the room. Someone had raised a hand earlier to question the plan, only to be cut short by a sharp dismissal. The lesson was clear: honesty carried risk, and risk could cost a pay cheque. So, silence became the safer currency. Yet what those whispers in the hallway held, better ideas, legitimate concerns, creative alternatives, would never reach the decision table. The cost of that silence wasn’t just emotional; it was organisational.
We often talk about psychological safety as something leaders must create. And that is true. But what happens when leaders don’t? Are followers powerless until leaders wake up to the need? The answer is no. While authority holds great weight in shaping culture, followers are not passengers. They are co-creators of the environment they inhabit. Psychological safety may begin with leadership, but it cannot be sustained without the active courage of those who follow.
“Too often, employees wait until frustration boils over, voicing concerns in ways that feel combative.”
To imagine that responsibility belongs only to leaders is to underestimate the role of those who make up the majority of any organisation. Without followers who actively practise the habits of safety, leaders’ best intentions collapse under the weight of silence. Followers are not powerless. They carry influence in how they respond, how they speak, and how they support one another when the stakes are high.
Research consistently shows that employees who voice ideas, even in less-than-ideal climates, can shift team dynamics over time. Harvard’s Amy Edmondson found that when individuals, even at lower levels, normalise candid dialogue and frame it as collective learning rather than personal attack, they help plant seeds of safety that spread. Another study published in Administrative Science Quarterly revealed that peer-to-peer candour in teams improves resilience, even when leadership is unsupportive. This means followers are not helpless. They can and must participate in creating the very conditions they long for.
Yet the dilemma is real. Speaking up can feel like gambling with one’s livelihood. What if the boss retaliates? What if opportunities vanish? What if raising a concern marks me as “difficult”? These fears are not imaginary; they are the lived reality of many professionals. History, and even current workplaces, are littered with stories of whistleblowers punished, employees sidelined, and careers jeopardised for honesty. But silence is not a neutral choice; it is a corrosive one. Silence erodes innovation, trust, and even personal integrity. Over time, the psychological tax of withholding truth weighs heavier than the professional risks of speaking it.
The challenge for followers is to build safety not recklessly but wisely, finding ways to claim their voice while still protecting their ability to thrive. So how can followers build safety without jeopardising their standing? It begins with small but intentional acts.
The first step is reframing voice as contribution, not confrontation. Too often, employees wait until frustration boils over, voicing concerns in ways that feel combative. But when ideas are framed as “here’s how this could help us succeed together”, rather than “here’s what you are doing wrong”, they become harder to dismiss. Contribution-oriented voice signals commitment, not rebellion, and gradually shifts the culture from guardedness to openness.
The second step is collective courage. Safety grows stronger when followers support each other. A lone dissenting voice can be silenced, but when peers echo, reinforce, and validate one another, the dynamic changes. What one person risks alone becomes a shared act of solidarity. Research from MIT shows that “team voice”, where multiple employees reinforce constructive input, not only protects individuals but also accelerates organisational learning. Followers, in other words, can build informal coalitions of candour.
Third, followers can normalise curiosity by asking questions instead of making declarations. A simple “I am curious how this will affect X” or “Can you help me understand the risk here?” lowers defensiveness while raising the quality of dialogue. Questions invite reflection rather than resistance, and they create openings where silence once lived. Over time, curiosity becomes contagious.
Still, none of this eliminates the risk. Followers who push for safety may still encounter defensiveness, authority pushback, or even subtle retaliation. But silence carries its own risk: the slow erosion of creativity, dignity, and engagement. The deeper danger is not speaking and losing a job, but never speaking and losing your voice.
So, ask yourself: do I contribute to safety, or do I retreat into silence? Do I frame my input in ways that invite collaboration, or do I wait until frustration shapes my tone? When colleagues speak up, do I reinforce their courage, or do I watch quietly from the sidelines? And perhaps most importantly, do I recognise that building safety is not only my leader’s responsibility but mine as well?
Here’s your challenge: In your next team interaction, resist the hallway whisper. Instead, bring one thought into the room, not recklessly, not aggressively, but constructively. Frame it as a contribution to collective success. If a colleague voices something brave, add your weight by affirming or extending it. Safety doesn’t emerge in a single bold act; it accumulates in small, steady choices to replace silence with voice.
Psychological safety is not a gift handed down from leaders. It is a shared pact, co-created by every voice in the room. Followers who choose to speak, support, and question wisely help carve out the very space they need to thrive. The risk is real. But so is the reward: a workplace where innovation, honesty, and humanity are not stalled by fear but sustained by courage.
About the author:
Dr Toye Sobande is a strategic leadership expert, executive coach, lawyer, public speaker, and award-winning author. He is the CEO of Stephens Leadership Consultancy LLC, a strategy and management consulting firm offering creative insight and solutions to businesses and leaders. Email: [email protected]
