The Debt You Can't See (But Your Team Suffers) – Your Shot of Fearless Culture #379
Where change agents find their weekly dose of culture insights and exercises, one topic at a time.
Here's the simple truth about team performance: Your team's success isn't determined by how hard they work.
It's determined by the quality of their conversations, especially the ones you're not having.
Every avoided discussion compounds like interest on a loan. That concern you didn't voice in last week's meeting? The misalignment everyone pretended not to notice? The tension that got smoothed over instead of addressed?
It all adds up.
I call this conversational debt – and just like financial debt, it eventually comes due.
Here's what most teams miss: People often stay silent not because they're afraid, but because they believe speaking up won't change anything.
That's exactly the problem I'm tackling in my upcoming book Forward Talk – and in this week's article, I'm giving you a peek behind the scenes.
Explore this week's newsletter:
My latest article → You Dreaded That Conversation. Now You Regret It.
Practical tools and exercises to get you started
Inspiring reads
Stay fearless, my friend.
Gustavo
In Case You Missed It
→ The Hidden Cost of Conversations We Never Have
Ask Your Team This
What's one conversation we've been avoiding that's quietly accumulating interest?
⚠️ Give It a Try
Backward Talk: Favoritism defines which ideas are selected
Conversation: How might we prioritize the quality of ideas over popularity?
Debt Type: Collaboration
How It Works: During your next brainstorming or decision-making session, collect all ideas anonymously. Redistribute the ideas randomly so each team member presents someone else's concept without revealing the source.
Decision-makers evaluate and discuss each idea based purely on its merit, not the author.
🍦 Feed Your Curiosity
Improve communication: focus on process, not content
How to reward people for speaking their truth
Overcoming the bystander effect
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Culture is hard to pin down, and it’s even harder to be explicit about your desired culture.
This course will give you a roadmap to map and assess your current culture – and design the culture you want.
Join the Culture Design Masterclass.
“Gustavo is amazing! I had been waiting for this class for months and it was worth the wait! I’m excited to continue the certification journey because one day is just not enough for the amount of wisdom he has to share.”
– Michelle
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Gustavo Razzetti
CEO, Fearless Culture