Telling The Truth

Silence can feel “kind” in leadership, but it often lands as threat. When information is missing, people’s brains fill the gaps with worst-case stories, anxiety rises, and rumor mills do the talking. I’m unpacking why truth telling is no longer optional for leaders navigating constant change, a trust deficit, and stakeholders who can spot spin from a mile away. Honest communication, done well, is how we protect trust, focus, and performance.

We dig into the neuroscience behind uncertainty, including how ambiguity activates the amygdala and why vague corporate language can make teams less calm, not more. 

From there, I share a simple, practical framework for transparent leadership communication: lead with what you know and own what you don’t. You’ll hear how regular, human updates build credibility during restructure and high-pressure moments even when you can’t promise outcomes.

Then we go beyond broadcasting the truth and talk about making space for it to come back to you. Many leaders think they’re getting candid feedback, but they’re hearing the “safe” version. 

I explain psychological safety and introduce deliberate invitation, specific questions you can use to draw out real challenge, surface risks early, and improve decision-making without triggering defensiveness. 

Leadership Horizons is relaunching as Leadership Trailblazers on May 13, and I’m celebrating with a free coaching package giveaway worth £6,000. 

Subscribe, share this with a leader who needs it, and leave a review so more people find the show. 

You can check out further details on my websites:

https://www.loisburtononline.com/

https://www.loisburton.co.uk/

email:  lois@loisburtononline.com

Leadership Horizons - Helping You Lead Beyond Boundaries 

Transcript

Relaunch News And Giveaway

SPEAKER_00 0:08

Hello and welcome back to Leadership Horizons. Before we dive into today's episode, and it's a good one, I've got some seriously exciting news to share with you, and I really hope it puts a smile on your face. Leadership Horizons is getting a makeover. On the 13th of May, please make a note of the date, this podcast is relaunching as Leadership Trailblazers. Same me, same mission, same real talk about what it takes to lead in today's world. But with a fresh new name, more guests, and an even bigger vision. If you're already a subscriber, don't worry, you'll transition across automatically. Nothing for you to do except keep showing up, which I know you will. But, and here's where it gets really good. To celebrate the launch of Leadership Trailblazers, I'm doing something I've never done before. I'm giving away a free coaching package with me worth£6,000. That's 10 hours of coaching over a six-month period for£6,000 and it's free to somebody on the launch of Leadership Trailblazers. To enter the draw, all you need to do is download download Leadership Trailblazers on 13th of May on Apple Podcasts and send me a screenshot. That's it. Just screenshot it and send it to me. The draw happens on 14th of May, so if you'd like that free gift, it's important you do this on the 13th. This is my way of saying a massive thank you for being on this journey with me and of welcoming a whole new community of leaders to the show. So make a note in your calendar and do that right now. You will have until midnight on 13th of May to get in the drawer. I'll be posting about this, but make a note now so you don't forget and then come straight back because today's episode is one you won't want to miss. So today, what's today all about? Today is about the truth. Not brutal, not unkind, but honest, courageous, and real. Because I genuinely believe that the way we lied yesterday will not lead us into tomorrow. And one of the most outdated habits in leadership, thinking it's kinder, smarter, or safer to withhold the truth. So in the next few minutes, I'm going to explore why truth telling matters more than ever right now, what it actually costs when leaders don't do it, and two very practical tips you can take away and use today. We're living through a time of extraordinary pressure. Organizations are navigating constant change, there's economic uncertainty, shifting workforce expectations, and a trust deficit that's been building for years. We see this most starkly in the political arena. And here's what the neuroscience tells us. You know, I love this stuff. When people don't have accurate information, their brains literally fill in the gaps. And not with optimistic, helpful stories, with threat, with fear, with the worst case scenario. The amygdala, our brain's threat detection center, is always scanning for danger. That's its job. And ambiguity? Ambiguity looks like danger. So when leaders go quiet, when they communicate in vague, hedged, corporate speak language, when they say everything is fine when clearly it isn't, they don't create calm, they create anxiety, they create they create rumour mills, they create teams that are distracted, disengaged, and quietly updating their CVs. And it's not just about the team. Stakeholders and customers are more sophisticated than ever. They can smell spin, they can sense when they're not getting the full picture, and the research on trust is unequivocal. It's built in the moments of honesty, especially the uncomfortable ones. And once it's gone, it's practically impossible to rebuild. Because if you want to get caught out not telling the truth, afterwards, no matter what you say, even if it is the truth, people are going to struggle to believe you. I've I've sat with so many leaders over the years who said some version of the same thing to me. I didn't tell them what was really happening because I didn't want to worry them. And I understand the instinct. It genuinely comes from a good place. But what I always ask is this who are you really protecting? Because more often than not, the people around you already know something's off. They're just waiting for you to be honest about it. And the longer you're not honest about it, the more that trust quietly slips away. So, tip number one, and this is something I've worked on with many clients, and it does make a difference. Lead with what you know and own what you don't. Truth telling doesn't mean you have to have all the answers, or you pretend that you do. In fact, one of the most disarming and trust building things a leader can say is, I don't know yet, but here's what I do know, and here's what I'm doing to find out. I worked for the senior leader in the NHS and she was navigating a really difficult period of organizational restructure. Those of you who've been through restructure, you know the level of anxiety these create. So her team were anxious and she was under enormous pressure from above. She came to me and said, I can't tell them anything because I don't know what's happening myself. And my response was, what do you know? She knew more than they did. She knew more than nothing. So we agreed. Start there. We worked together on how she could communicate clearly and honestly without overpromising or catastrophizing. She started holding brief, regular team updates. Not with polished presentations, just honest conversations. Here's what I know, here's what's still unclear, here's how I'm going to keep you informed. The shift in team morale was significant. Not because everything got better overnight, it didn't, but because people felt respected and they trusted her. And that trust held the team together through an incredibly difficult time. So the practical tip is this: in your next team communication, consciously separate what you know from what you don't and be explicit about both. You will be surprised at how much this shifts the energy in the room. Tip number two is about creating the conditions where truth can actually flow. Not just from you to your team, but back to you as well. Because one of the biggest blind spots I see in senior leaders is this. They think they're getting honest feedback, but they're not. They're getting the edited, polished what the boss wants to hear version. And again, the neuroscience is helpful here. When people feel psychologically safe, the prefrontal cortex, the rational, creative, problem-solving part of the brain, is engaged. When they don't, when they fear of being judged or dismissed or penalised for speaking up, they go into self-protection mode. Normal. The brilliant insights stay unsaid, and the early warning signs go unshared. And leaders end up making decisions based on incomplete information. I had a client, manufacturing director, genuinely committed to his people and his organization, and he came to me frustrated because his team never pushed back on him. He wanted challenge and debate, but all he got was nodding. And when we explored it together, it turned out that historically, when people had disagreed with him in meetings, his response, which was entirely unconscious, had shut them down. A slight impatience, a tendency to move on quickly, a look that said, we're done with that conversation. He didn't know he was doing it, but his team did. So we worked on what I call deliberate invitation, consciously, explicitly inviting dissent. Not just does anyone have any questions, but actually saying, I want to hear where you think this won't work. I want the challenge push back on me, and then critically responding with genuine curiosity when they do, not defensiveness. The practical action here is to pick one conversation this week, a team meeting, a one-to-one, a stakeholder session, and deliberately invite an honest, challenging response. Ask a question that genuinely opens the door. What am I not seeing here? What's the risk I'm underestimating? Where do you think this could go wrong? And then listen, really listen. Not to respond, but to understand. So truth is not a soft skill. It's a leadership superpower. It builds trust, it creates psychological safety, it enables better decisions, and it's the foundation of every high-performing team I have ever worked with. And yes, it takes courage, especially when the truth is uncomfortable, especially when you don't have all the answers and it's really missy. Missy? Messy. Especially when you don't have all the answers and it's really messy. Especially when it means admitting you got something wrong. But the leaders who do it, who consistently show up with honesty and integrity, who create environments where truth is welcomed rather than feared, those are the leaders whose teams will walk through walls for them. Those are the trailblazers. Which rather beautifully brings me back to where I started. If today's episode has landed for you, if you want more of this real, practical, experience-grounded leadership conversation, then please don't forget, on the 13th of May, make a note of that date. Leadership Horizons becomes Leadership Trailblazers. And on that day, and only on that day, go to Apple Podcasts, download the new show, and send me that screenshot to enter the drawer for a free coaching package worth£6,000. You'll get all the details in the show notes, and I am so looking forward to seeing you there. And if in the meantime you'd like to find out more about working with me, one-to-one coaching, team coaching, or any of my programmes, you can find me on LinkedIn or at loisburtononline.com. I would love to hear from you. Until next time, lead with truth, lead with courage, and remember the way we led yesterday will not lead us into tomorrow. Take care, everyone, and I'll see you next week.