What's worse - being wrong, or staying silent?

(Read time: 4 mins)

As a leader, you know the pressures to get it right.

Deadlines. Client demands. Team dynamics.

But here's a question: Is it worse to be wrong or to stay silent?

Have you stayed silent?

Think about it for a moment.

How many times have you held back in a meeting?
Worried about offering the wrong idea?
Concerned that the client might not agree?

Or maybe you’ve watched your team struggle with a direction you knew wasn’t right—but you didn’t speak up.

You didn’t want to be the bad person.

As a leader, your choice to speak up—or stay silent—impacts everything.

Let’s break down why speaking up matters

• It helps avoid mistakes: Your perspective could catch something others missed. Speaking up can save time, money, and a lot of headaches later on.

• It invites collaboration: Great ideas are rarely perfect out of the gate. By speaking up, you kickstart the conversations that make ideas better.

• It builds trust: When people feel safe to speak up, they feel valued. And when trust grows, so does the whole team.

• It shows leadership: Stepping up and sharing your voice shows courage. It signals that you’re invested in the success of the team, not just your own.

• It pushes past fear: Staying silent feels comfortable. But comfort zones are where growth goes to die. Speaking up moves everyone forward.

• It sharpens strategy: The best campaigns are crafted from diverse perspectives. Speaking up helps refine the thinking and make smarter decisions.

• It reinforces accountability: Speaking up ensures everyone stays aligned, holds each other to high standards, and keeps the team moving toward shared goals.

So why do we hold back?

We’re conditioned to find speaking up difficult. 

It’s deeply rooted! We’re hard-wired to want to fit in. We don’t naturally want to go against the grain or challenge the status quo - it’s an evolutionary survival mechanism: If I’m socially rejected or kicked out of the tribe, I won’t be able to survive and I’ll die alone in the wild.

Plus, when it comes to sniffing out signs for danger, our brains don’t differentiate much between emotional danger and physical danger. So essentially, our brain is triggering the same reaction to having to say something people might not agree with, as it is for saber-toothed tiger emerging from the bushes. It triggers a physical stress response.

How do we overcome this barrier?

To speak up more effectively, you need these five tools in your leadership toolkit:

1. Empower your language

Your language matters.

Don’t undermine your authority with phrases like:

🚫 “Sorry to ask…”

🚫 “I think it might be worth…” 

🚫 “Maybe you could get back to me when you have the chance?” 

Instead, speak with confidence and purpose. 

🚫 Be cautious with “but.” It often cancels out the first part of your sentence. For example: “You did a good job, but there are changes we need.” The complaint overshadows the compliment. Instead, drop “but” and make clear statements like, “You did a good job.” Or use “and” to transition more positively.

🚫 Notice the difference between asking vs. telling:

“Can we arrange a time to look at the work?” vs. “Let’s arrange a time to look at the work”

“What do you think about paid search?” vs. “We recommend paid search”

🚫 Overuse of phrases like: Does that make sense? 

…Over use of this phrase signifies to others that you may be insecure about how you are delivering the information. A more empowering way to ask is “How did that point land for you?”

2. Procrastination is your enemy

Waiting to speak up?

It’s like letting problems fester.

Address issues as soon as they arise.

Whether it's a client concern or an internal roadblock, quick resolution is key.

Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team emphasises rapid resolution for team alignment.

3. Trigger phrases for tough conversations

Not every conversation is easy. Sometimes, the hardest part is just getting started.

When you find yourself disagreeing with clients or colleagues, using the right "trigger phrases" can help you begin the dialogue in a constructive way.

Here are some examples to try:

• “I see your point, and what about…”

• “Here’s another perspective…”

• “I had a question about that...”

• “I’m uncomfortable with that.”

• “I have a thought I’d like to share with you…”

• “I’d like to jump in here with a thought…”

• “This reminds me of…”

• “I’m going to stop you there for a moment…”

• “Before you move on, I’d like to say something…”

• “It would be interesting to…”

These phrases are simple but powerful tools to help you express ideas, ask questions, or share concerns—even in tough conversations.

4. Mastering feedback

Kim Scott’s Radical Candour shows that feedback drives growth.

When you speak up with the right intentions—whether offering feedback or addressing challenges—you help your team do better.

5. Lastly, keep it short and simple (KISS).

There’s a difference between speaking up and speaking too much.

You don’t need to dominate the conversation—listening is just as powerful. While it’s important to overcome what holds us back from speaking up, we also need to avoid filling space just to talk. People need time to process.

Self-regulation is key.

Keep it simple. Say what needs to be said. Nothing more, nothing less.

And if you need a reminder:

W.A.I.T. = Why Am I Talking?

Final thought: What’s worse—being wrong or staying silent?

It’s simple: staying silent is far worse.

Not speaking up is often more detrimental than saying something that may be wrong. The key is engaging in the conversation, even if you don’t have all the answers.

Being wrong is part of the process—it leads to growth, understanding, and better outcomes. But silence? Silence holds back progress, stifles creativity, and dampens the collaborative energy that agencies thrive on.

Your voice is powerful. Speak up. Lead with authenticity.