The Leaning Tower of Pisa was constructed in three stages over 177 years. Work on the ground floor of the white marble bell tower began in 1173. The tower began to sink after construction had progressed to the second floor five years later. This was due to a mere three-meter foundation, set in weak, unstable subsoil, a design that was flawed from the beginning. Fortunately, builders have learned a few things since then.

William James, the father of psychology, stated that the most fundamental psychological need is to be appreciated. We all want to feel fully appreciated for our work. The payoff for inspiring leaders is that people do more for those who appreciate them. Although leaders widely recognize the need for appreciation, it tends to be a blind spot. That is, we generally believe we are much more appreciative of our team than our team thinks we are.

When employees don’t get the necessary information to perform their jobs, including asnwers to the fundamental four questsions, they tend to “fill in the blanks” with their own assumptions, and their assumptions are often worst-case scenarios. This is not necessarily a reflection of the leader. It’s our natural human insecurity. We often assume the worst in the absence of evidence to the contrary. Lack of information and unanswered questions can start the silence spiral: