Real Talk Fridays: When Leadership Is Silent

Welcome to Real Talk Fridays — real stories about leadership, work, and what we’re all actually navigating inside organizations.

This one’s personal.

Back in December when I was looking for a job and getting nowhere, I did something bold AND many would say, very “me.”

I emailed the CEO of a major global company. Not because I expected a job handed to me. Not because I thought I’d change her day.

I wrote because I admired the values she spoke about publicly, and I thought we were aligned. She’d been vocal about issues that mattered to me, and I respected that.

I told her a bit about myself, shared my résumé, and expressed my interest in working with a company I believed in. I kept it short, honest, and direct.

I didn’t expect a personal reply. But I expected something.

A note from her assistant. An acknowledgment. A recruiter reaching out.

I got nothing.

Silence is a response.

Let me be clear: this was one of the hardest seasons of my life.

I’d been out of work for over a year. I applied to more than 800 jobs. I networked. I reached out to former colleagues, recruiters, friends of friends.

I did everything you’re supposed to do.

And when nothing moved, I decided to start my own company because I don’t want others to feel this way if I can help it.

I’m proud of Engage3P. It’s the best decision I could have made. However, that doesn’t erase how painful it was to be ignored over and over again while I was still trying to make something work inside someone else’s organization.

So yes, when I wrote that email, I was hopeful. Not desperate, just human.

Even a “No thanks” would have been something. A two-line reply. A redirection. Hell, even a “F-off.”

Instead, silence.

Fast forward six months.

I was sitting in a hotel lobby, and in walked that very same CEO.

It took me a second to place her and then I remembered the email, too late. She was already in the lift.

I also remembered the feeling of being invisible. And I thought, not this time.

I asked the front desk to print my email (of course it was still in my outbox). I wrote a quick handwritten note.

Something like:

“In case this never reached you... just wanted to share again.”

And I left it with the concierge, who assured me it would be delivered to her.

It felt right. Like I was closing a loop. Maybe this would, at the very least, lead to a response.

You already know what happened.

It’s been a week. Still nothing.

And while I don’t know for certain whether she saw it. Let’s be honest, it’s hard to believe no one did.

Which is exactly the point.

This isn’t about me and her.

It’s about leadership. It’s about culture. It’s about what silence signals inside an organization.

Because silence is a signal.

And when leaders don’t respond, especially when someone reaches out with care, alignment, and intent. It sends a very clear message:

We don’t see you.
You don’t matter.
This door is closed.

Even if that’s not what they meant.

This is why I started Engage3P.

Because silence isn’t just bad manners. It’s bad leadership. It ripples.

The best leaders don’t need to say yes to everything. But they do need to acknowledge what shows up at their doorstep especially when it comes from a place of shared values or human connection.

If someone on your team spoke up tomorrow, would they hear back?

Would they feel seen?

Or would they get silence?

Because here’s the truth: How your company responds — or doesn’t, defines who you are.

I built Engage3P to help leaders break that silence. To see what’s really going on in their organizations. To ask the hard questions and actually respond to what’s being surfaced.

Culture isn’t just what you say. It’s what you do. And what you don’t.

Real Talk Wrap-Up

Silence is never neutral.
A “no” is better than a void.
Responsive leadership isn’t about ego. It’s about energy, clarity, and culture.
We all deserve to be seen.

📊 Want to know what your silence might be saying?

Take the Momentum Diagnostic — a fast, insightful pulse check on how your culture is actually landing. No fluff. Just clarity.

📩 Reach out directly: hello@engage3P.com
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