What Two Days in 1986 Can Teach Us About Why Leaders Must Listen

Leadership isn’t about always having the right answers. It’s about creating an environment where the right answers can emerge. The biggest mistakes—the ones that change industries, cost lives, and leave organizations scrambling—rarely happen because no one saw the problem coming. They happen because the people who did see the problem weren’t heard.

Before you focus on making the “right” decision, ask yourself this: Is my team comfortable speaking up? The moment communication closes, small failures go unaddressed, and when small failures go unaddressed, they grow into major ones.

I keep two objects in my office as reminders of what happens when communication breaks down: a Christa McAuliffemission Button from the Challenger disaster and a Chernobyl liquidator Metal given to those who risked their lives cleaning up Reactor No. 4. These two tragedies, unfolding just months apart in 1986, were born in different countries, under different political systems, and within completely different industries. Yet the leadership failures that caused them were the same.

Two Disasters, One Failure

At first glance, Challenger and Chernobyl seem worlds apart. Challenger was a NASA-led space shuttle mission, grounded in scientific progress and American ingenuity. Chernobyl was a Soviet nuclear plant operating under layers of bureaucracy and secrecy. But both disasters were the result of a toxic leadership pattern: People saw the risks. People raised concerns. And leadership ignored them.

At NASA, engineers at Morton Thiokol were deeply concerned that the O-rings wouldn’t hold in cold temperatures. The night before the launch, they strongly warned against proceeding, arguing that the unusually low temperatures posed a serious risk. Initially, their company supported them. But under intense pressure from NASA leadership to stay on schedule, Morton Thiokol executives reversed course and overruled their own engineers. The concerns were silenced, and the launch went ahead anyway. Seventy-three seconds later, Challenger was gone, along with the lives of all seven crew members.

At Chernobyl, plant operators knew Reactor No. 4 had serious design flaws. The Soviet system left little room for questioning authority, and on the night of the disaster, staff hesitated before initiating a dangerous test. They knew something wasn’t right. But under the weight of a rigid hierarchy, they did what they were told. Moments later, the reactor exploded, causing the worst nuclear disaster in history.

Two different organizations. Two different leadership structures.

The same fatal mistake.

No One Is Immune to a Closed Culture

It’s easy to look at these disasters and think, That would never happen here. But if NASA—an institution built on scientific rigor—and the Soviet nuclear industry—one of the most strictly controlled systems in the world—could both fall into the same trap, what does that say?

It says that no leader, no organization, no industry is immune to the dangers of a closed culture.

If people don’t feel safe raising concerns, they won’t. If leadership dismisses small risks, those risks will snowball. And if teams stop speaking up, failures are no longer a possibility—they’re an inevitability.

This Isn’t Just About Top Leadership—It’s About Every Leader

In my last article, The Skunk in Your Tent, I wrote about how middle managers must navigate difficult workplace cultures. But leadership isn’t just about job titles—it’s about influence. Whether you’re a CEO, a middle manager, or an informal leader within a team, the way you handle input from others shapes the culture around you.

You may not control every decision, but you do control whether your team feels safe contributing. And that choice, over time, determines whether you have a team that speaks up—or one that stays silent when it matters most.

This isn’t just a lesson for executives in boardrooms. It’s for anyone who has ever had to respond to an idea in a meeting, handle disagreement, or decide whether to create space for discussion or shut it down. The Why Not philosophy isn’t about saying yes to everything—it’s about keeping the spigot open, ensuring that even when an idea isn’t the right one, people still believe their voice matters.

How Leaders Can Prevent a Culture of Silence 

The Challenger engineers knew. The Chernobyl operators knew. The problem wasn’t ignorance—it was silence. So how do we, as leaders at all levels, ensure we’re not making the same mistake?

1. Look Around—Is Everyone Quiet?

If you’re in a meeting and only the same few voices are speaking, take a step back. Silence doesn’t mean agreement—it often means disengagement or fear. Ask yourself:

• Who haven’t we heard from yet?

• Does anyone see a risk we’re missing?

• Is there something we haven’t considered?

Encouraging quieter voices builds a culture where contribution feels safe.

2. How Do You Respond to “Bad Ideas”?

Not every idea is a good one. However, how you handle a “bad idea” determines whether that person will ever offer another. If someone speaks up and gets shut down harshly, they won’t risk it again. Instead of a dismissive “No, that won’t work,” try:

“I see where you’re going with that. Let’s tweak it.”

“Not the right fit now, but let’s keep that in mind.”

“That’s an interesting angle—can we build on it?”

3. Do People Bring You Problems—Or Hide Them?

The way your team reports issues says everything about your leadership. If problems always seem to surface too late, it likely means people don’t feel comfortable bringing them up early. Ask yourself:

• Do people hesitate before bringing me bad news?

• When was the last time someone disagreed with me?

• Am I making it clear that I want to hear concerns—not just solutions?

A great leader isn’t just someone who hears good ideas. A great leader makes it easy for people to speak up about everything.

4. Do You Model the Behavior You Want?

If you want your team to ask hard questions, challenge ideas, and bring up concerns, you have to show them it’s okay to do so. That means:

• Admitting when you’re wrong. If you shut down input but later realize a mistake, own it.

• Publicly valuing dissent. When someone challenges an idea, acknowledge it, even if you don’t agree.

• Encouraging debate. Let your team see that disagreement doesn’t equal disloyalty.

The Reminder in My Office

The Christa McAuliffe button and the Chernobyl Metal in my office remind me that leadership isn’t about knowing everything—it’s about making sure the right people feel safe enough to speak up.

Because the thing far worse than a bad idea is a great one that no one speaks up about.