Permission to Speak Freely

What if some of the most powerful words in your organization were “I'm not sure,” “I need help,” and “I have a new idea”? Imagine the potential for innovation, connection, and results if your employees felt courageous enough to say anything to you.


What if people could simply communicate what they are really thinking without fear of having a bad idea? When you are in a leadership position, your people should feel comfortable to learn from and brainstorm with you. It is your responsibility to create an authentic environment characterized by honesty and trust that encourages everyone to share ideas. When your people don't speak up, it's not their problem-it's yours.

Building a culture in which people are able to say anything opens up pathways to innovation that would otherwise not exist. Ultimately, this book is a letter to leaders-filled with experience, research, and practicality. Peering inside a vast array of organizations for the past decade, the authors have seen time and again that leaders are failing to draw out ideas from their introverts and, at the same time, shutting up their extroverts. Inhibitors in organizations make candid communication unsafe. As a leader, you must recognize and acknowledge these complex dynamics and then work tirelessly to inspire your team to speak freely.

• Cover
• Praise for Permission to Speak Freely
• Title page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword by Shann Ray Ferch, PhD
• Introduction: How Speaking Freely Helped Bring a Championship to Seattle
• PART ONE: WHAT LEADERS NEED TO HEAR
• PART TWO: THE PROBLEM
• PART THREE: HOW TO CULTIVATE A CULTURE OF CANDOR
• Notes
• Index
• About the Authors

“Permission to Speak Freely is a rare leadership book that entertains and educates. The stories are memorable, the research is meaningful, and the takeaways are immediately actionable.”
-Adam Grant, Wharton professor and New York Times bestselling author of Give and Take and Originals

“We simply cannot figure out what is essential as leaders without people sharing what they are seeing, hearing, and experiencing. This takes powerful listening on the part of the leader. These truths-and how to make them a reality-are beautifully illustrated in Permission to Speak Freely.”
-Greg McKeown, New York Times bestselling author of Essentialism

“This book tackles the most important problem in organizations today-leaders do not know how to encourage their subordinates to speak up. Permission to Speak Freely not only identifies the problem with powerful stories but offers suggestions that are important to leaders at every level, especially those at the very tops of their organization.”
-Edgar H. Schein, Professor Emeritus, MIT Sloan School of Management, and author of Humble Consulting and Humble Inquiry

“Incredible writing. Edible lessons. I set out to read a chapter of Permission to Speak Freely and then couldn't put it down. Devour this book and learn from it.”
-Scott Snook, Harvard Business School Senior Lecturer and coauthor of The Discover Your True North Fieldbook and The Handbook for Teaching Leadership

“Crandall and Kincaid adroitly reveal how leaders inadvertently derail creativity and commitment, and deliver keen insights on how to avoid that trap. Permission to Speak Freely is a powerful reminder to leaders that they aren't necessarily the smartest people in the room.”
-Tom Kolditz, Founding Director, Ann and John Doerr Institute for New Leaders, Rice University; retired Brigadier General; and former Professor and Leadership Development Program Director, Yale School of Management

“The tenets illustrated in Permission to Speak Freely are already shaping the way I operate my business, build my team, and consult on matters of organization change management. This book is a remarkable tool for diverse leaders worldwide. ”
-Tyler Borders, cofounder and Principal, Dartlet