INTERVIEW ON THE PRICE OF BUSINESS SHOW, MEDIA PARTNER OF THIS SITE.

Recently Kevin Price, Host of the nationally syndicated Price of Business Show, interviewed Joan Hibdon.

The Joan Hibdon Commentaries

On a recent Price of Business show, Host Kevin Price interviewed Joan Hibdon.

What are symptoms of an unhealthy workplace when it comes to communication? They often appear long before a valued employee leaves or a crisis occurs.

People stop asking questions because they fear looking uninformed. Difficult conversations happen about someone rather than with them. Feedback becomes vague, delayed, or nonexistent. Meetings remain polite, while the real conversation happens afterward. Decisions are made without involving those who will be affected, creating confusion, rework, and frustration.

Leaders may mistake the absence of conflict for alignment. But silence does not necessarily mean agreement. It may mean employees no longer believe that any speaking honestly is safe or that anything will change if they do.

Every unspoken truth creates culture. When concerns, expectations, and frustrations go unaddressed, they do not disappear. Employees become resentful. They spend time gossiping, creating assumptions, and workarounds. Over time, what an organization avoids talking about begins to define how people work together.

Healthy communication requires clarity, trust, and courage. Leaders shape healthier cultures when they invite honest dialogue, respond constructively to disagreement, provide direct feedback, and address difficult issues before silence becomes the accepted norm.

What people say matters. When people stop speaking up – that matters more.

Joan Hibdon is the founder of jdhInsights, LLC, where she coaches and develops leaders to become the best version of themselves. Through her writing, facilitation, and strategic coaching, Joan helps organizations build feedback-rich cultures that fuel sustainable growth.