Are you controlling or facilitating?—Your Shot of Fearless Culture #402
Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.
Dear Fellow Change Maker,
I’m at the airport (again).
For the past 12 weeks, I’ve been traveling across the country, helping teams have courageous conversations—solving the issues they’re not even discussing.
It’s one of my favorite parts of the job: watching senior executives wrestle with their own conversational debt.
Here’s what I’ve noticed. Even the smartest leaders struggle to facilitate conversations.
Some try to control every exchange. They ask questions they already have answers for. They dismiss ideas that don’t fit their plan. They mistake talking at people for engaging them.
Others swing the other way. They disappear. They confuse facilitation with neutrality, remaining so hands-off that they become invisible.
Neither approach works. Control kills participation. Silence kills momentum.
Your team’s success isn’t determined by how smart people are. It’s determined by the quality of their conversations.
So here’s the real question: Are you leading conversations or facilitating them?
Explore this week's newsletter:
My latest article → Facilitation: The Most Underrated Leadership Skill
Practical insights for breaking rules with a purpose.
Stay fearless, my friend.
Gustavo
In Case You Missed It
The Hidden Cost of Conversations We Never Have (from my upcoming book)
Ask Your Team This
What kind of conversation do we need right now—exploring, deciding, or aligning?
⚠️ Try This
Let Silence Breathe
Next time you ask your team a difficult question, resist the urge to fill the void.
Ask the question and then count silently to 10 before. No follow-up questions. No rephrasing. No jumping in with your own answer.
Just wait.
Those 10 seconds will feel eternal. You’ll want to rescue people from the discomfort. Don’t.
Silence isn’t empty; it’s where thinking happens. People need space to reflect, process, and gather the courage to share their thoughts.
The best insights rarely come in the first three seconds. They come when you give everyone permission to pause.
🍦 Feed Your Curiosity
Every team needs a super-facilitator
The art of facilitative leadership
What is facilitative leadership?
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Over eight sessions, you’ll acquire new tools and methods to improve your workplace culture, from feedback and meetings to psychological safety and decision-making.
Get the culture you deserve, not the one you tolerate.
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Gustavo Razzetti
CEO, Fearless Culture