Are you managing performance or perceptions?
What are you hearing at work?
Good news, progress, agreement and all is well… or bad news, problems, discontent and I need help?”
Just think about it for a minute…because if the only things you’re hearing are wins, alignment, and smooth sailing…you might not be hearing the whole truth.
π¨ The Problem with a “Good News Culture”
In many organisations, there’s an unspoken pressure to keep things positive. Be definitive. Show progress. The numbers look great. And when they don’t, make sure you have a ‘good’ reason why.
But when teams only share the good news - or only escalate when things are on fire - we miss a valuable space: the messy, uncertain middle. A space where learning happens. Space for humility, and real leadership happen, when things aren’t going so well.
When colleagues pull their punches because of a good news culture, here’s what gets lost:
· Early warning signs of problems
· Honest feedback about what’s not working
· Opportunities to course-correct before it’s too late
· The voices of quieter or less confident team members
π§ Why It Happens
Most of the time this isn’t about bad intentions – there are of course exceptions, VW, Enron. It’s mostly human nature. People want to be seen as competent, not wanting to admit mistakes. Self-preservation takes hold, protection of reputations. And in some cultures, we’ve learned that speaking up with concerns or challenges can lead to being labelled “obstructive”, “negative”, “not a team player”, “a troublemaker”.
When psychological safety is low, silence is so high it’s deafening.
π What to Do Instead
If you’re a leader, ask yourself:
· When was the last time someone brought me a half-formed idea or a concern without a solution?
· Do I reward honesty, or just results?
· Am I modelling vulnerability and curiosity - or just confidence and control?
Here are a few ways to shift the culture:
β Normalise the grey area: make it okay to say “I’m not sure” or “this isn’t working” – in fact if you are a leader, when you are in a position when you don’t know the answer, share this. This is role model behaviour.
β Ask better questions: try “what’s not being said?” or “what are we worried about?” or “what have we missed here?”. You don’t have to have all of the answers yourself.
β Celebrate learning, not just outcomes: recognise people who raise issues early, acknowledge and appreciate this, why, because they will do it again, and again. So will others.
β Make space for all voices: not just the loudest or most senior….and please don’t demand contributions, try inviting them, express and demonstrate authentic curiosity for different perspectives.
π¬ Final Thought
A team that only brings you good news isn’t a high-performing team. It’s a team that’s managing perception.
The real magic happens when people feel safe enough to bring you the truth - even when it’s messy, uncomfortable, or incomplete.
If they can do this, trust grows. Identifying problems is often a lonely place for some, resolving them is very much a team sport.