A Fearful Team Can’t Deliver Fearless Service

Many years ago, back in the era of dial-up modems and massive brick cell phones known as the 1990s, I briefly worked in field support for a sandwich shop franchisor. Part of my job for the company consisted of visiting franchised locations and reporting back to our owner on issues that might damage the brand’s overall reputation. Did I ever find any? Oh, yeah, like all the time. I’d walk into the shops (which had approved menus of 18 cold deli-style sandwiches) and see some of the franchisees selling items like hot dogs and teriyaki. Or they would have jacked up the prices higher than the franchisor allowed. Or cleanliness issues – well, maybe I shouldn’t even talk about those. Let’s just say, if there was a rule to break or a standard to ignore, I usually found at least one in every restaurant.

Now, was I able to change these issues when I saw them? Absolutely not. I was just a low-level admin person with a clipboard and a checklist, and I personally didn’t have the power to fix anything. I could tell the franchisees what they were doing wrong, I could tell them why it would be better (for all parties involved) to adhere to the standard, and I could tell them what the penalty might be for not doing so. But it was their individual business, and I was legally not allowed to throw the hot dogs in the garbage or clean up the dirty towels on the kitchen floor.

When I reported these issues back to the company owner – the only person with the authority to hold wayward franchisees accountable – he rarely denied them. But instead of taking my reports as a call to action, he’d blow up at me – just picture Yosemite Sam throwing a tantrum if you need a visual. I think he got angry because each violation reminded him that the system he’d invested heavily in wasn’t as strong as he needed it to be, and he didn’t want to risk alienating the people who kept his revenue flowing by confronting them with uncomfortable conversations. He was, however, perfectly willing to vent his frustration on a nervous rookie employee telling him the truth because, at least on the surface, it cost him nothing to do so.

But down deep, there was a cost, because his actions made even routine honesty feel dangerous. After several outbursts, I didn’t feel safe being candid because straightforward reporting only guaranteed a backlash, so I learned to soften my reports, leave details out, and sidestep uncomfortable realities altogether. It was self-preservation, but it meant the very issues I was supposed to monitor were left to fester because of his toxic leadership.

Looking back, my choice to filter my words mirrors the way many hotel or restaurant employees today stay silent about ideas or concerns – not because they don’t care, but because speaking up can feel unsafe. Maybe that’s why Hollywood loves to show chefs yelling across kitchens and managers scowling behind desks; the fear may be over the top, but it taps into something that many hospitality employees recognize.

While attending two sessions at CHART’s hospitality training conference in Redondo Beach in August, I realized just how much that old franchisor experience still shapes my thinking about leadership. Back then, I had no guidance or safety net, so honesty only made my job harder. But what I heard from Candace Doby in her keynote session on Courage-Ready Cultures, as well as Curt Archambault’s breakout on Foundations of Psychological Safety, was exactly the tools and mindsets that would have changed everything in that environment, and that can change everything for leaders who want to build braver, more effective teams moving forward.

Safety and courage drive excellence

Hospitality is built on high standards, from the perfect fold in a napkin to the smoothest check-in process. But those standards don’t stay high just because they’re enshrined in laminated guides like sacred texts of service. They stay high, and often rise even higher, when employees feel comfortable pointing out flaws, testing new ideas, and talking about what could be improved.

This is where Curt’s lessons on psychological safety come in. At its core, it’s the belief that it’s safe to take interpersonal risks at work. In hospitality, that might look like a server pointing out that a menu description confuses guests, a front desk associate raising a concern about a check-in process that frustrates arrivals, or a housekeeper suggesting a new cleaning sequence that saves time without compromising quality. These contributions often seem small, but they are the sparks that create operational improvements and elevate the guest experience.

When psychological safety is paired with what Candace referred to as a courage-ready culture – one that not only allows risk-taking but expects and rewards it – employees do more than follow instructions. They actively look for ways to solve problems, improve systems, and enhance service. This combination is what allows both innovation and engagement to thrive.

From silence to solutions

Creating a hospitality workplace where people feel safe to take worthwhile risks requires more than an open-door policy. It calls for leaders to intentionally shape the environment so that speaking up is not a gamble but a shared expectation. Just like I experienced back in the 1990s, employees will constantly weigh the risk of speaking up against the risk of staying silent. If leaders are not willing to lower the stakes and provide the skills and support to voice concerns effectively, silence will win out, and with it comes disengagement, repeated mistakes, and stalled innovation.

The following approaches can help organizations bring a fearless culture to life:

1. Turn input into a job requirement: Make it clear with all new team members from day one that feedback is part of the role and not an optional extra. During onboarding, explain that noticing opportunities for improvement is a valued skill, and in pre-shift meetings, invite staff to share observations from the previous day (even if the ideas are not fully formed). Over time, this encouragement will normalize the act of contributing so it is seen as an everyday part of the job rather than a risk.

1. Respond with curiosity: If a line cook points out that a plating policy is leading to inconsistencies, don’t just nod politely. Dig deeper. Ask follow-up questions to understand the issue, thank the person for raising it, and explore solutions together. As Curt Archambault emphasized in his CHART breakout, leaders who approach input with curiosity signal that contributions are worth exploring, and that makes it far more likely employees will feel safe to keep speaking up.

1. Stay courteous, even if you’ve heard it before: Of course, not every suggestion will be new. You may hear the same concern about ticket times or cleanliness dozens of times over the course of a year (or heck, in a month). But remember: it’s the first time this employee has taken the risk to raise it. A sharp or sarcastic response might save a few seconds, but it can silence that person, and anyone else watching, for good. The right approach is to acknowledge their input (without a sarcastic tone), explain where things stand, and encourage them to keep speaking up. Even if you’ve already addressed the issue or tried different solutions, a considerate and transparent reply validates their courage while keeping them engaged. Here are a few ways to handle those moments:

• “Thank you for raising that. I’ve heard it from others as well, and here’s what we’ve already tried.”
• “I appreciate you noticing that. We’re still working on a solution, but your feedback confirms it’s important.”
• “You’re not alone in seeing this. Let me share why we haven’t changed it yet, but please keep bringing up what you notice.”

1. Celebrate the act, not just the outcome: Not every idea will be practical or lead to immediate improvements, but every effort to contribute deserves recognition. Acknowledge the employee who suggested a new seating arrangement in the lounge, for example, even if it still needs adjustment. Share any “risks taken” during staff meetings, highlighting both the ideas raised and the willingness to voice them. Public recognition sends a powerful message that participation and courage are valued in themselves and not just when they produce perfect results.

1. Find the “yes” in every idea: Instead of rejecting an idea outright, see if you can identify part that could work. If a server proposes an entirely new cocktail list that is impractical, work with them to identify one element, such as a single signature drink, that you could pilot. Encouraging small tests allows innovation to move forward while avoiding the feeling that suggestions are wasted effort.

1. Model courageous behavior: Employees are more likely to take risks when they see leaders doing the same. Share times when you tried something new and it didn’t go perfectly, whether that was introducing a new room service ordering system or testing a menu item that fell flat. My current boss often says that we almost always mess something up the first time we try it, but that’s OK; what matters is that we learn from the experience and do it better the next time. As Candace noted in her presentation, demonstrating that kind of vulnerability is the hallmark of a courage-ready culture. It makes it clear that risk-taking is not a rare act but a daily expectation, and leaders set that expectation by showing their own courage first.

1. Build communication skills: Encouraging people to speak up is only half the work; many employees also need help learning how to share their ideas in a clear and constructive way. You may need to take the time to coach your team on how to give suggestions so they are specific, respectful, and solution-oriented. They might be used to simply saying, “This doesn’t work,” so you will need to teach them to reframe their input as, “Here’s what I noticed, and here’s an alternative that might help.” Providing sentence starters, role-playing feedback moments in pre-shift meetings, or modeling how to raise concerns respectfully can help to give employees the competence to go with their courage.

1. Protect those who take risks: If a guest complaint surfaces because an employee tried a new approach, defend the intent behind the action before addressing the improvement needed. A simple response like, “I appreciate you for trying to make the guest’s experience better – let’s fix this together and talk about how to improve it next time,” reinforces that your support extends beyond words and will give staff the confidence to try again.

When the feedback hurts to hear

Once staff feel safe sharing small fixes, they’re also more likely to bring forward the tough stuff – issues such as bullying, harassment, or mistreatment by their supervisors or co-workers. As Curt reminded us in his breakout, psychological safety isn’t tested when things are easy, but rather in those high-stakes conversations where leaders need to step up.

Here are six things you should NOT do when a team member musters the courage to bring forward these difficult stories.

1. Don’t minimize the issue: Comments like “I’m sure they didn’t mean it that way” or “That happens everywhere” instantly dismiss the effort it took to come forward. Even if you need time to investigate, treat the report as serious from the start.

1. Don’t get defensive: If the concern involves someone you trust or respect, resist the urge to protect them in the moment. Saying “That doesn’t sound like him” may feel loyal, but to the person sharing it, it will confirm your bias and shuts the door to further honesty. The same goes for deflections like “But she supports all those charities” – pointing to someone’s positive traits or past good deeds doesn’t erase the possibility that they also caused harm. People are complicated, and leaders must take concerns seriously even when they clash with the image they’d prefer to believe.

1. Don’t interrogate like a cross-examiner: When an employee opens up about a painful experience, it might be tempting to jump into rapid-fire questions – “When exactly? Who was there? What did you say back?” But grilling them in a skeptical tone feels like putting them on trial. Your first role is not to build a case but to listen carefully, let them finish, and thank them for speaking up. Formal fact-finding should come later through the proper channels. If you truly need something clarified to understand what they’re saying, ask gently and briefly, but resist the urge to press for every detail in the moment.

1. Don’t try to correct them in the moment: When someone shares that they feel bullied or harassed, the conversation isn’t about nailing down every fact. Interrupting with something like, “Don’t you mean it happened on July 1st?” may seem minor, but it shifts the focus from their story to your authority and comes off as flexing your ego. As they are speaking, accuracy can wait, and you have literally one job – be quiet.

1. Don’t leave them hanging: Failing to follow up, or letting weeks go by without an update, can create the impression that their courage was wasted. Even if the process takes time, communicate regularly so they know you are taking the matter seriously.

1. Don’t assume you’d already know if there were a problem: Telling an employee, “I’m in this hotel or restaurant all the time. If something was wrong, I’d have heard about it,” ignores the reality of power dynamics. Team members who are being bullied or harassed often fear retaliation or job loss, and abusers are usually skilled at hiding bad behavior when senior leaders are around. Assuming visibility equals awareness only proves to staff that their experiences won’t be believed.

Your response in these moments sends a message far beyond the individuals involved. As Candace Doby described, mishandling tough feedback doesn’t just silence one voice; it signals to the entire team that speaking up is a liability rather than an asset. Even worse, bungling it can expose the company to harassment lawsuits, costly legal battles, and lasting reputational damage. But if you handle it well (by protecting the employee, letting those in the chain of command know about the situation, and reporting it to HR), you will reinforce that safety and courage are not just a slogan but a daily reality.

Fearless teams, fearless service

Guests may never know exactly why their room felt perfectly prepared or their brunch arrived faster, but they’ll feel the results of a team that trusts each other enough to speak up. That kind of invisible excellence doesn’t come from manuals or procedures alone, but rather from workplaces where leaders encourage contribution and model the courage they want to see.

Curt summed up this principle perfectly in his breakout when he said that psychological safety is like incredibly healthy soil that allows everything planted in it to grow. In hospitality, that means safe, supportive cultures produce the strongest teams – ones that recover quickly when problems arise, deliver more consistent service, and drive measurable gains in both guest satisfaction and the bottom line.

That’s a far cry from my 1990s experience, when I learned to soften my reports to survive. Today, thanks to my experiences with CHART, I’ve learned that softening the culture is how we thrive.