Having a team of ‘yes people’ from hindsight may look like a leader or the senior management is respected but it could also be a sign of fear and ‘ big man syndrome’ at play at the workplace. This boils down to the nature of a teams culture. A culture driven by fear and authoritarianism from senior management forces team members to keep saying yes even when they know it’s wrong. They do it to play safe and conform to the status quo of don’t ask don’t tell. 

Nurturing open communication and employee trust starts from the top. Senior management should intentionally dedicate time and resources towards creating a conducive culture that stimulates constructive feedback and criticism without any victimization of those that voice their opinions. 

In human psychology, everyone has a right to be heard and empowered to make clear decisions. We have seen companies and organizations that have stagnated because of ‘yes people’ who can’t point out mistakes in customer service, product development or stakeholder relations. This breeds aloofness at the top management as they don’t get a true picture of what their team members want and areas of improvement cannot be identified.