I used to avoid difficult conversations.
(You know the ones.)
➟ The team member who keeps missing deadlines
➟ The boss whose expectations are unclear
➟ The feedback that needs to be said (but feels too hard)
I thought silence kept the peace.
But I learned the hard way:
Silence often does more damage than words ever could.
One of my project managers was slipping.
The team saw it. So did I.
But I said nothing for months.
When I finally spoke up, he said:
“I’ve been waiting for you to bring this up.
I thought you didn’t care.”
That hit me hard.
💥 My silence wasn’t kindness.
It was abandonment. Disguised as keeping the peace.
I started showing up differently.
Not around the hard stuff.
But through it.
Every courageous conversation you have
builds something better:
✅ A culture of honesty
✅ Trust that can withstand tension
✅ Solutions that actually fix the real problems
If you’re holding back that conversation,
the one you keep pushing down…
It might be the most important leadership move
you’ll make this year.
Your team isn’t waiting for perfection.
They’re waiting for you to lead.
You’ve got this 💪.
Kenrick Vaz 