The Silent CEO: Why Corporate Leaders Need to Keep Talking

Not that long ago, CEO activism was thriving. CEOs like Mark Benioff of Salesforce and Tim Cook of Apple publicly opposed discriminatory legislation and climate risks. Paul Polman, former CEO of Unilever, passionately championed sustainable business practices — cutting the company’s emissions by 52 percent and energy use by 28 percent, while influencing other CEOs and global policymakers to follow his lead.

Today, CEO activism has suddenly gone quiet. But that doesn’t mean leaders should stop communicating. In times of uncertainty and instability, connecting with employees and stakeholders should take center stage. A simple rule of thumb is the more change people experience, the more they need to hear from their leaders. Change sets us adrift; communication brings us back together. 

What does it mean to communicate trust? 

Communication is a process of creating shared realities and meaning. To create a shared reality built on trust, a leader’s priorities must shift. Projecting a bold vision externally becomes less important than meeting people where they are inside the organization. 

Trust has three core dimensions: credibility, competence and care. Leaders communicate these dimensions through their words, timing, choice of channels and, most importantly, through listening. When leaders demonstrate credibility by matching words with actions, show competence through reliable performance, and express authentic care for people's wellbeing, they weave a strong fabric of trust throughout the organization.

Here are three rules of the road for cultivating trust in hard times:

Think “when,” not “what” 

When leaders plan to communicate, they often wait for something momentous to say. But in disruptive times, knowing when you’ll hear from a leader next becomes its own form of trust. In March 2020 as COVID-19 upended travel patterns, Ed Bastian, CEO of Delta Air Lines, sent regular memos to all employees, detailing the airline's response to the pandemic — and signaling when they would hear from him next. These "Bastian Memos" became something employees could count on when everything else felt uncertain.

Consistency gives people something to depend on when things feel out of their control. Deborah Hersman, former chair of the National Transportation Safety Board, mastered this tactic during crisis events. She ended press conferences by telling reporters when they would hear from her office next. Hersman’s aim was to be the most trusted source of information about an incident — and that meant showing up even when there wasn’t much new to say. 

Mind the feedback loop

Whether you’re raising kids, nurturing a relationship or leading others, feedback loops are pure gold for building trust. Research shows that when leaders communicate clearly about their decisions — and follow through on promises — employee engagement and productivity increase. When words align with actions, trust grows. 

Being clear means there's no ambiguity and that people understand how this new information relates to their role and their situation. But feedback requires careful attention. Nothing damages trust like making someone feel ignored — it strips their sense of importance and their dignity. To build trust, feedback must be captured openly in discussions, assigned a timeframe for response and addressed visibly. 

Treating concerns with dignity also manages risk by encouraging more people to speak up. Amy Edmondson, who coined the term team psychological safety, cautions that while organizations benefit when people speak up, individuals often benefit from staying quiet. As she puts it: "No one was ever fired for silence.” Acknowledging, validating and acting on feedback creates a climate of psychological safety that encourages people to voice concerns.

Prioritize your people

The pressure on CEOs and senior leaders to manage their public image is intense. But this outward focus on media coverage can erode trust within the organization. To build trust, news should flow from the inside-out: employees first, then key stakeholders, press and public. The only exception is a crisis event when safety is at stake.

Leaders often say people are their most valuable resource, then fail to prioritize them. When employees learn about their own company through the press — or worse, through gossip — trust is swiftly eroded. 

Another way to prioritize people is by tuning into what keeps them up at night. When social issues create controversy outside the office, vulnerable team members worry about norms shifting inside the office. Leaders need to act swiftly to address these concerns — with words and actions — to protect the integrity of the culture. 

Consistency creates stability. 
While CEO activism may have receded, leadership communication matters more than ever. Simply prioritizing trust with employees and stakeholders through consistent engagement can increase stability in uncertain times. 

The era of global leaders like Paul Polman straining to raise our collective consciousness may not return soon. But no one needs a public platform to use their voice, to inspire people just by showing up, to foster inclusion through listening, and to make people feel heard. 

This is a unique moment for leaders. Prioritize your people and commit to building trust — one conversation at a time — for as long as this difficult time persists.