The worst kind of leadership? Saying nothing. #leadership #communicationiskey #toxicworkculture

7 Oct 2025 · 1 min

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1:06

A short monologue (YouTube) by Donald Burns arguing that the worst kind of leadership is leaders who avoid candid conversations. The speaker uses an anecdote about a team member (“Joe”) who is criticized privately but praised in person to show how avoidance harms teams. Main claim: most workplace problems are people problems rooted in poor or missing communication; leaders should be candid, respectful, and willing to have uncomfortable conversations to improve individual and business outcomes.

Chapters

What do you think is the number one trait that leaders need today? It's a situation to where I would be with my leadership team going. How's, you know, old Joe doing over there? He's not doing great. You know, they'd say he's always late. You know, he's doing this, he's doing that. We're all. Everybody's complaining about Joe, and then I'll see Joe and the rest. Hey, Joe, man, good to go. You know, how's it going, man? Keep up the good work. That kind of thing, which is terrible. That's terrible leadership. There's nothing canderous about that, you know. And what I've learned, because you say rightfully all problems are people problems. Yes. And that's right. And most of those people problems, I've learned, are communication problems. Exactly. And lack, really, of communication. If I can get comfortable in the uncomfortable and be upfront and honest and candorous in a respectful way with people, life is better. My state of mind is better. The business is better. It's just a better thing all the way around.