Truth Requires Safety

The all-hands: "We need candid feedback. Speak up if you see problems."

Feedback form arrives. Everyone fills it out. "Strong culture." "Great leadership." "No major concerns."

You suspected they were lying. They were.

Submit.

The meeting: "Any questions? Any concerns?"

Silence.

Heads nod. The meeting ends.

In the hallway: silence.

In one-on-ones with trusted peers: the real issues. The actual problems. The things everyone knows.

In the anonymous Glassdoor review after they leave: everything.

Voice without safety is performance.

They asked for feedback. You gave them what was safe to give. "No concerns."

Not because they don't care. Because they calculated the risk.

The feedback system works. It collects responses. It generates reports. It captures nothing real.

Safety comes first. Voice comes second.

This is why Voice Needs Practice emphasizes the sequence - you can't skip stages.

You can mandate feedback. You can't mandate truth. The Momentum Engine shows how to build real safety.