02/05/2026
In the book The Fearless Organisation, there are inspiring stories of how leaders’ took consultation to be an act of care.
When people are only ever asked to “fill in the survey” or “tick the box,” they quickly learn that the organisation wants compliance, not contribution. But when leaders genuinely invite questions, concerns, and ideas – and then show how that input changes what happens next – consultation becomes a powerful signal: your experience matters here.
Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety describes cultures where people feel safe enough to speak up, admit mistakes, and ask for help without fear of embarrassment or punishment. Consultation is one of the main ways we build that kind of culture in everyday work.
That means consultation is not:
- A once‑a‑year form that disappears into a black hole (research suggests this is quite damaging)
- A scripted “listening session” where the decisions are already made.
Instead, it looks like:
- Leaders asking real, open questions – especially about risks, workload, relationships, and values tensions – and listening without jumping to blame.
- Teams making problems and ideas visible (whiteboards, shared dashboards, quick huddles), so it is normal to talk about what is not working, not shameful.
- People seeing their feedback shape priorities, processes, and resourcing – and hearing back, “Here is what we heard and here is what we are doing.”
When consultation works this way, it stops being paperwork and becomes practice: a way we care for one another, protect safety and dignity, and learn fast enough to do better.
