I am travelling on business with the Canadian Asia Pacific Trade Mission, and the precious difference is the Asian culture’s genuine ability to listen and understand that voices do not need to speak loudly to be heard.
This article identifies the leadership shift imperative to listen in new ways, providing validity to rethink how we engage employees, and identifies a powerful Canadian solution for leading in times of polarity. The article concludes with a call for executive leadership to augment or reshape employee engagement practices so each voice is heard in a psychologically safe context, and also identifies opportunities for improvement at scale.
The world we are living in today is filled with powerful and louder dictator-like voices that are making declarations that the future can only be shaped by following in their footsteps. This rhetoric must shift – as each voice matters more than ever.
What sparked my curiosity for this article was reading Dr. Pauline Crawford’s blog post, where she eloquently wrote, “In times of uncertainty, we often assume leadership must become more forceful: louder voices, stronger positions, clearer declarations. Yet what I’m observing globally is something different. The leaders who are shaping the future are not those who shout their arrival into the room, but those who change the quality of the room simply by being present. We are living through a period of deep division — socially, politically, economically, and culturally. Many leadership models are still responding with urgency, pressure, and polarity. But pressure does not create clarity. And polarity rarely produces wisdom. What is increasingly needed is leadership that can hold complexity without inflaming it.”
The Leadership Pathway Forward – Permitting Employees to Feel
During COVID, I read the book, Permission to Feel, by Dr. Mark Brackett, a Yale Researcher on Emotional Intelligence, which crystallized a eureka moment.
Why?
Dr. Brackett emphasizes that giving ourselves—and others—the permission to feel is not merely an emotional luxury but a foundational psychological and performance asset with measurable benefits. He has spent decades studying emotions, emotional intelligence, and their impact on human functioning. His work shows that emotions are critical data about our needs, priorities, and social context, and that suppressing or ignoring emotions undermines decision-making, well-being, and relationships.
Brackett argues that many people grow up in cultures that implicitly teach them not to notice, acknowledge, or talk about their feelings. This creates a widespread emotional “blind spot” that limits self-awareness and stifles healthy expression.
His research and practice have validated that when individuals learn to recognize and label their emotions accurately, they gain psychological clarity, reduce the intensity of unhelpful emotional reactions, and make decisions that are more aligned with their long-term goals.
Brackett’s core point—that people need permission to feel—means more than just recognizing an emotion; it means allowing oneself to experience feelings fully as real and informative rather than dismissing them as “weak” or irrelevant. In professional settings where norms may implicitly discourage emotional expression, permitting oneself to feel can be a radical act that fosters deeper self-understanding and resilience. When employees are taught to attend to their emotions without judgment, they are better equipped to regulate reactions, communicate authentically, and build trust with colleagues. This aligns with broader research on psychological safety, which finds that environments where individuals feel safe to express thoughts and concerns without fear of reprisal lead to better collaboration, error reporting, innovation, and performance.
Moreover, research suggests that emotionally intelligent leaders—those who model self-awareness and respectful expression—create more engaging and supportive workplaces. Employees in such environments report higher well-being, greater purpose, and more meaningful connections at work. Brackett’s own research and that of his colleagues reinforce that when people are given space and skills to understand and express their emotions appropriately, they show greater creativity, improved decision-making, and reduced stress, which collectively enhance both individual and organizational outcomes.
In summary, permission to feel is essential because emotions are not obstacles to rationality but vital information that influences how people think, relate, and perform. The research underscores that developing emotional awareness and giving oneself permission to experience and express feelings in context-appropriate ways leads to healthier individuals and more productive, humane workplaces.
How to Modernize Employee Engagement Practices With Permission to Feel Foundations
Now that I have established the imperative for leadership to hold diverse perspectives in balance, demonstrating space and respect as each voice matters. I want to ensure that the context is clear that employee voices are the most reliable way organizations learn what is really happening inside their systems—operationally, culturally, and ethically.
When employees believe their perspectives are genuinely heard and taken seriously, they are more likely to surface risks early, contribute ideas for improvement, and remain psychologically invested in the organization’s success. Listening is not just a “nice to have” cultural practice; it is a core mechanism for performance, resilience, and trust.
Research not only by Dr. Brackett validates the importance of employee feedback and engagement but also Amy Edmondson’s work on psychological safety demonstrates that teams where people feel safe to speak up outperform those where silence prevails, particularly in complex, high-risk environments.
In addition, Gallup’s longitudinal research consistently shows that organizations with high employee engagement experience significantly lower turnover, fewer safety incidents, higher productivity, and stronger customer outcomes. Similarly, studies published in journals such as the Academy of Management Journal and Journal of Applied Psychology also link employee voice to improved decision quality, innovation, and ethical behavior, while silence is associated with higher error rates, burnout, and disengagement.
Employee voice also plays a critical role in risk management and governance. Research following major organizational failures—from healthcare errors to financial scandals—shows that warning signs were often known by frontline employees, but went unheard or unacknowledged.
When feedback systems are weak or trust is low, employees may self-censor out of fear of retaliation, futility, or social cost. This silence can allow small issues to compound into systemic failures. Conversely, organizations that actively solicit and act on employee input tend to detect problems earlier and adapt faster to change.
Ensuring employee voices are truly listened to requires more than annual employee surveys or open-door policies; it requires intentional design and leadership behavior to engage in daily conversations that your voice really matters.
Leaders must visibly demonstrate that feedback leads to action, even when the message is uncomfortable. Closing the feedback loop—by explaining what was heard, what will change, and what cannot change and why—is essential to sustaining trust. Research shows that employees are more willing to continue offering input when they see evidence that their perspectives influence decisions, not just that they were “collected.”
Equally important is creating psychologically safe channels for expression. This includes multiple avenues for feedback, such as anonymous tools, facilitated discussions, and regular one-to-one conversations, recognizing that not all employees feel safe speaking up in the same way. Training leaders to listen without defensiveness, to ask curious questions, and to respond with respect has been shown to significantly increase voice behavior. When employees experience being listened to with empathy and seriousness, engagement becomes a byproduct rather than a program.
During my visit to Singapore I had an opportunity to talk to a Google ACPAC leader who shared their communication process to engage employees in more authentic conversations. The three practices are:
-
Ensure psychological safety to speak and act
-
Demonstrate emotional intelligence – “EQ really matters!”
-
Give everyone a change to speak up – “turn taking matters”
I asked if there was an automated real-time engagement process to support this process and we had a rich conversation on what was needed to advance the viability of such a platform.
An Innovative AI Solution – MoodInsights Driving New Conversations with Psychological Safety at its Core
SalesChoice’s MoodInsights™ AI product delivers meaningful value to organizations because it operationalizes many of the principles we’ve discussed—especially the idea that permission to feel and emotional awareness are essential drivers of employee well-being, engagement, and performance. MoodInsights isn’t simply a sentiment tracker; it applies generative AI and sentiment analytics to reveal real-time emotional insights from employees (and optionally customers), providing leaders with actionable, contextualized data about how people feel, why they feel that way, and how that impacts productivity, safety, retention, and operational risk. This aligns with research on emotional intelligence and psychological safety, which shows that acknowledging and acting on emotions leads to better well-being and organizational outcomes.
MoodInsights helps organizations get beyond the limitations of traditional employee surveys by capturing daily mood check-ins that take less than a minute to complete and respecting privacy while aggregating sentiment patterns for leadership visibility. It gives employees a safe way to express how they feel, which enhances self-awareness and supports leaders in understanding emerging issues before they escalate into turnover, safety incidents, or disengagement, thereby turning emotional data into a strategic advantage.
Real customer use cases reinforce the product’s value. For instance, in its pilot with a large courier and logistics company, MoodInsights enabled drivers to become more aware of their daily mindsets and helped leadership incorporate those emotional insights into safety training and process improvements, advancing operational excellence goals. Frontline employees also reported that the tool helped them recognize patterns such as sustained low energy that they might not have noticed otherwise. Organizational leaders noted that having visibility into worker moods and the factors driving them allowed them to mitigate risks more effectively, demonstrating how emotional data translated directly into improved health, safety, and performance outcomes.
Further evidence of MoodInsights’ value comes from industry recognition. The product was recognized for a prestigious DataIQ Data and AI Award for its innovative use of generative AI to assess the controllability of organizational issues tied to mental health, productivity, and engagement, highlighting its capacity to help companies take early corrective actions that reduce churn and operational inefficiencies.
When placed alongside research on emotional intelligence and the permission to feel—which underlines that emotions are critical data influencing decision-making, relationships, and performance—MoodInsights serves as an AI-powered extension of these concepts, enabling companies to systematically listen to emotions, act on them, and in doing so foster healthier, more productive workplaces.
Conclusion
Ultimately, the employee voice is about dignity and partnership. Trust is deeply required to foster stronger resilience and ensure what needs to be said is said and heard. Research makes clear that people are more engaged when they feel seen as contributors, not just resources. Organizations that listen well benefit from higher trust, better decisions, and a workforce that is willing to bring its full intelligence to work. In an environment of rapid change and uncertainty, the ability to hear and act on employee voices is not optional—it is a strategic advantage.
New AI product innovations like SalesChoice’s MoodInsights provide a strategic advantage, it’s like enabling the CEO to have an MRI on the health of the organization. Our world is moving rapidly and we cannot wait for annual employee surveys – too many questions and these practices are lagging indicators versus real-time leading indicators.
Bibliography on Employee Happiness and Engagement
-
Gordon, Cindy. “Employee Happiness Is a Leading Indicator of Profitability and Productivity.” Forbes, October 30, 2022. This article makes the case that employee happiness significantly influences profitability and productivity, and calls for more timely, continuous assessment of employee emotional states.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “The Great Resignation: The Unhappiness Age Must Shift to the Happiness Age.” Forbes, October 30, 2022. In this piece, Gordon discusses how declines in workplace happiness and engagement have contributed to broader labor market trends like the Great Resignation.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “Accelerating Growth Using AI: A Focus on Relationship Intelligence and Happiness Economics.” Forbes, May 1, 2022. This article links emotional data, happiness economics, and employee engagement to organizational growth, noting the value of emotional expression and insight in business contexts.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “Can Mindfulness Improve Employee Connections and Closeness?” (Blog Two). Forbes, March 31, 2023. Gordon explores how mindfulness practices may enhance communication, connection, and engagement within teams.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “How The C-Suite Can Advance Mental Health and Increase Employee Happiness.” Forbes, December 27, 2023. This leadership-focused article argues that senior leaders must explicitly support employee mental health and happiness to improve engagement and organizational performance.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “The Mental Health Crisis and Why Employee Happiness Matters.” Forbes, December 27, 2023. Gordon highlights the global decline in employee happiness, criticizes lagging engagement methods, and suggests real-time emotional insight as a key improvement strategy.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “Why Happiness Must Be a Corporate Strategy for Board Directors and CEOs.” Forbes, December 31, 2023. In this piece, she frames employee happiness not just as an HR concern but as a corporate strategic imperative.
-
Gordon, Cindy. “Massive Health Wake Up Call: Depression and Anxiety Rates Have Increased by 25% in the Past Year.” Forbes, February 12, 2023. While broader in focus, this article includes insights on well-being that support the case for linking emotional health to engagement.
Join our SalesChoice AI Youtube Channel
To stay updated about the latest in AI and its impact, subscribe to our CEO’s weekly AI Insights newsletter
