Published on: July 20, 2026 at 9:00 am
By Marc Hogan
Leaders may be accustomed to the idea that they should encourage employees to speak their minds. How they can best solicit feedback in practice, however, can be a more complicated matter, particularly when it comes to employees raising concerns.
Academy of Management Scholar Sean Martin of the University of Virginia said that business leaders and managers need to reward employees who speak up and point out problems.
“Too many people are out there terrified that if they speak up, they’re going to get fired, or there’s going to be retribution taken against them,” he explained.
When employees do point out legitimate problems, leaders must avoid labeling them as troublemakers, devil’s advocates, gadflies, or squeaky wheels, Martin advised. Labeling their speaking out in this way is a cultural choice that will likely suppress others from wanting to undertake action such as expressing constructive criticism that is beneficial for the business for fear of ruffling management’s feathers, he noted.
When employees are challenging the status quo, Martin suggested that leaders could say: “I really welcome that. I appreciate that you’re the person who’s bringing these challenges to the forefront. I can’t promise we’re going to handle all of them right now, but what I can promise is that we’re going to collect these comments and consider the best course of action to address them.”
Leaders can say they’ll gather more information on the challenges and determine which ones are most pressing to attack, he observed. Thanking the employees for their candor and taking action based on their input are important for multiple reasons, according to Martin.
“One, it shows you’re open to feedback,” he said. “But two, people want to believe that they have some agency at their workplace.
“This shows anyone, regardless of their level of seniority, can have a voice in shaping what we do.”
To get employees to speak their minds, leaders must make them feel safe, which means soliciting their input as often as possible, Martin said. Leaders must also make employees feel that their actions aren’t futile, he continued, which means following up with people about their idea and, even if it can’t be executed fully, explaining why that’s the case. Above all, leaders must make employees feel like giving honest feedback is worthwhile, according to Martin.
“That’s a harder one to make immediate change on,” Martin said. “But you can do that by being a good leader and by building good relationships and establishing trust.
“That requires lots of saying thank you, lots of welcoming in different conversations, lots of welcoming in people who are willing to challenge you—and making sure those people are rewarded for doing it,” he said.
