Leaders often underestimate the power of silence. Not the reflective kind that fuels focus, but the kind that creeps into meetings, projects, and cultures until communication quietly stalls. When teams go quiet, it’s rarely because everything is running smoothly. More often, it’s because people no longer feel heard, or they’ve stopped believing their input matters. The Illusion of Peace In many organizations, silence is misread as alignment. No complaints, no questions, no co