---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Many CEOs and leaders think that silence…"
description: "\"Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden, that consensus is bliss. It is - sometimes. But more often what it signifies is that there a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg"
---

#  Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden…

![“Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden, that consensus is bliss. It is - sometimes. But more often what it signifies is that there are no respected processes for surfacing concerns and dissent.” quote by Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg)

> “Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden, that consensus is bliss. It is - sometimes. But more often what it signifies is that there are no respected processes for surfacing concerns and dissent.”

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Silence often masks a lack of safe channels for dissent, not genuine agreement.

**In simple terms:** Quiet can hide missing of voice.

Key Takeaway

Create safe spaces for honest feedback.

Themes

leadership communication trust

Mood

reflective concerned

Type

advisory inspirational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- boardrooms
- project reviews
- employee surveys

Key Concepts

psychological safety organizational culture

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you encourage dissent without conflict?
- What structures ensure all voices are heard?

A Different Perspective

If silence is forced, it may breed resentment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bliss/) [Ceo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceo/) [Ceos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ceos/) [Concern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concern/) [Concerns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerns/) [Concerns Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/concerns-dissent-2257347/) [Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus/) [Consensus Bliss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consensus-bliss-2257346/) [Dissent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dissent/) [Golden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden/) [Golden Consensus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/golden-consensus-2257345/) [Indeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indeed/) [Leader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leader/) [Leaders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leaders/) [Leadership](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/leadership/) [Many](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/many/) [More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/more/) [Often](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/often/) [Process](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/process/) [Processes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/processes/) [Respected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/respected/) [Signifies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/signifies/) [Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence/) [Silence is](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/silence-is/) [Sometimes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sometimes/) [Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think/) [Think Silence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/think-silence-603343/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/)

## Related quotes

> [How can any company know if its processes, products, people are safe? Only if everyone is watching and telling the truth. The first part…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/how-can-any-company-know-if-its-processes-products-people-are-safe/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [As an actor, I'm always critical watching others; it's just the nature of the beast. For me, any performance that doesn't cause my ego…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-alan-basche/as-an-actor-i-m-always-critical-watching-others-it-s-just-the-nature/)

[David Alan Basche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-alan-basche/)

> [There is a great deal in a name. It often signifies much, and may involve a great principle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-cady-stanton/there-is-a-great-deal-in-a-name-it-often-signifies-much-and-may/)

[Elizabeth Cady Stanton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-cady-stanton/)

> [Where we come from in America no longer signifies. It's where we go, and what we do when we get there, that tells us…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-carol-oates/where-we-come-from-in-america-no-longer-signifies-it-s-where-we-go/)

[Joyce Carol Oates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-carol-oates/)

> [Education in Emergencies signifies that the right to education is being threatened by natural causes such as tsunamis, but also, unfortunately, by man-made causes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mozah-bint-nasser-al-missned/education-in-emergencies-signifies-that-the-right-to-education-is/)

[Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mozah-bint-nasser-al-missned/)

> [Slashing its way to the finish line, 'Black Swan' is the first ballet movie for highbrow horror fans for whom ballet itself signifies little…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-wolcott/slashing-its-way-to-the-finish-line-black-swan-is-the-first-ballet/)

[James Wolcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-wolcott/)

> [Each one of these bodies (art-works Arp made) certainly signifies something, but it is only once there is nothing left for me to change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-arp/each-one-of-these-bodies-art-works-arp-made-certainly-signifies/)

[Hans Arp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-arp/)

> [The corporation and the hedge funds have a hold on Hollywood, and they all want to make money on anything that signifies cinema.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/the-corporation-and-the-hedge-funds-have-a-hold-on-hollywood-and-they/)

[Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-gonzalez-inarritu/)

> [I extend my greetings and good wishes to all our citizens on the joyous occasion of Deepawali. The festival of lights, celebrated with gaiety…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammad-hamid-ansari/i-extend-my-greetings-and-good-wishes-to-all-our-citizens-on-the/)

[Mohammad Hamid Ansari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammad-hamid-ansari/)

> [Platinum for me signifies everlasting love, which needs to be celebrated in the most special way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-kapoor/platinum-for-me-signifies-everlasting-love-which-needs-to-be/)

[Ram Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-kapoor/)

> [Jealousy use to be a character to describe me but now it only signifies you](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cj/jealousy-use-to-be-a-character-to-describe-me-but-now-it-only/)

[CJ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cj/)

> [“Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/every-gun-that-is-made-every-warship-launched-every-rocket-fired-4/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

> [Everything we say signifies; everything counts, that we put out into the world. It impacts on kids, it impacts on the zeitgeist of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meryl-streep/everything-we-say-signifies-everything-counts-that-we-put-out-into/)

[Meryl Streep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meryl-streep/)

> [“I love you", once you say this sentence to a girl, it signifies that you have a responsibility towards her.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yixing-zhang/i-love-you-once-you-say-this-sentence-to-a-girl-it-signifies-that-you/)

[Yixing Zhang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yixing-zhang/)

> [Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/every-gun-that-is-made-every-warship-launched-every-rocket-fired-3/)

[Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/)

## More by Margaret Heffernan

> [Companies are bought for their revenue, customer base, technology, or people. A few great companies offer all of these, but any valuable business offers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/companies-are-bought-for-their-revenue-customer-base-technology-or/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [The biggest catastrophes that we've witnessed rarely come from information that is secret or hidden. It comes from information that is freely available and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-biggest-catastrophes-that-we-ve-witnessed-rarely-come-from/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [I haven't always hated McDonald's. When my kids were little and I lived in the U.S., they were as susceptible as anyone to Happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-haven-t-always-hated-mcdonald-s-when-my-kids-were-little-and-i/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [I hate people walking down the street listening to the soundtrack of their lives which responds to them but not their setting. I hate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-hate-people-walking-down-the-street-listening-to-the-soundtrack-of/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [The vast literature concerning whistleblowers shows that, far from weird extremists, they are really quite ordinary people: male and female, young and old, junior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-vast-literature-concerning-whistleblowers-shows-that-far-from/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [“Indeed, there seems to be some evidence not only that all love is based on illusion — but that love positively requires illusion in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/indeed-there-seems-to-be-some-evidence-not-only-that-all-love-is/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [Clearing your head of distractions in order to notice and understand the people you are with can feel inefficient - there are so many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/clearing-your-head-of-distractions-in-order-to-notice-and-understand/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [We treasure what we can measure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/we-treasure-what-we-can-measure/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [I don't mind if the couple next to me is tense or the kids are whiny. I'd even be happy to hear an honest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/i-don-t-mind-if-the-couple-next-to-me-is-tense-or-the-kids-are-whiny/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [British innovation in design, in the creative arts, in engineering and manufacturing is world class.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/british-innovation-in-design-in-the-creative-arts-in-engineering-and/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [Huge open source organizations like Red Hat and Mozilla manage the collaboration of hundreds of people who don't know one another and have spent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/huge-open-source-organizations-like-red-hat-and-mozilla-manage-the/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [Words are how people think. When you misuse words, you diminish your ability to think clearly and truthfully.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/words-are-how-people-think-when-you-misuse-words-you-diminish-your/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [“Humans do not have enough mental capacity to do all the things that we think we can do. As attentional load increases, attentional capacity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/humans-do-not-have-enough-mental-capacity-to-do-all-the-things-that/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [“Those who consistently attempt multitasking find it harder to ignore irrelevant information and take longer moving between tasks—in other words, for all their frantic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/those-who-consistently-attempt-multitasking-find-it-harder-to-ignore/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

> [The healthiest companies are always characterized by organic talent development.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/the-healthiest-companies-are-always-characterized-by-organic-talent/)

[Margaret Heffernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

[Explore all 96 Margaret Heffernan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/)

## More Bliss quotes

> [Ignorance is not bliss — it is oblivion. Determined ignorance is the hastiest kind of oblivion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-wylie/ignorance-is-not-bliss-it-is-oblivion-determined-ignorance-is-the/)

[Philip Wylie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-wylie/)

> [The artist's experience lies so unbelievably close to the sexual, to its pain and its pleasure, that the two phenomena are really just different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rainer-maria-rilke/the-artist-s-experience-lies-so-unbelievably-close-to-the-sexual-to/)

[Rainer Maria Rilke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rainer-maria-rilke/)

> [and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea she is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-h-lawrence/and-venus-among-the-fishes-skips-and-is-a-she-dolphin-she-is-the-gay/)

[D. H. Lawrence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-h-lawrence/)

> [Music is a lot more like solving an intricate puzzle with moments of pure, random creative bliss... whereas painting is much more purely random…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brandon-boyd/music-is-a-lot-more-like-solving-an-intricate-puzzle-with-moments-of/)

[Brandon Boyd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brandon-boyd/)

> [Work and leisure are complementary parts of the same living process and cannot be separated without destroying the joy of work and the bliss…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/work-and-leisure-are-complementary-parts-of-the-same-living-process/)

[E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/)

> [“Being around her now was nine parts bliss and one part torment. And he wanted it to last as long as possible.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-ringle/being-around-her-now-was-nine-parts-bliss-and-one-part-torment-and-he/)

[Molly Ringle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-ringle/)

> [“He was still a mystery to me. And God, did I want to play Nancy Drew.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cora-carmack/he-was-still-a-mystery-to-me-and-god-did-i-want-to-play-nancy-drew/)

[Cora Carmack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cora-carmack/)

> [Eating, drinking, sleeping a little laughter ! much weeping! Is that all ? Do not die here like a worm. Wake up! Attain immortal bliss!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/eating-drinking-sleeping-a-little-laughter-much-weeping-is-that-all/)

[Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/)

> [How do you find the divine power in yourself? The word enthusiasm means 'filled with a god,' so what makes you enthusiastic? Follow it.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/how-do-you-find-the-divine-power-in-yourself-the-word-enthusiasm/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you follow your bliss a kind of track opens up, that's always been there, waiting for you. And the life that you should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-campbell/when-you-follow-your-bliss-a-kind-of-track-opens-up-that-s-always/)

[Joseph Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-campbell/)

> [When you drop your unnecessary things, you finally can swoop and fly in vast space. It is so blue, so bright, and so nice,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chogyam-trungpa/when-you-drop-your-unnecessary-things-you-finally-can-swoop-and-fly/)

[Chogyam Trungpa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chogyam-trungpa/)

> [“Everything we perceive to be solid and static is made up of almost entirely empty space.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-p-kauffman/everything-we-perceive-to-be-solid-and-static-is-made-up-of-almost/)

[Joseph P. Kauffman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-p-kauffman/)

> [“The smell of her hair lingered just out of reach of his memory and left him with a nervous hum resonating throughout his body…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-tomblin/the-smell-of-her-hair-lingered-just-out-of-reach-of-his-memory-and/)

[Erik Tomblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-tomblin/)

> [“They happen only when you are distant,aloof. They happen, they cannot be brought. They happen you cannot force them to happen. They are spontaneous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/osho/they-happen-only-when-you-are-distant-aloof-they-happen-they-cannot/)

[Osho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/osho/)

> [“Ignorance was bliss. Or at least less painfull”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiersten-white/ignorance-was-bliss-or-at-least-less-painfull/)

[Kiersten White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiersten-white/)

[Browse all 1,311 Bliss quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bliss/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden, that consensus is bliss. It is - sometimes. But more often what it signifies is that there are no respected processes for surfacing concerns and dissent.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Margaret Heffernan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence-is-indeed-golden-that/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bliss"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence-is-indeed-golden-that/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/899/margaret-heffernan-6923_bliss_many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence_1828898.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Many CEOs and leaders think that silence is indeed golden, that consensus is bliss. It is - sometimes. But…” — Margaret Heffernan",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Margaret Heffernan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-heffernan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Many CEOs and leaders think that...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence-is-indeed-golden-that/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-heffernan/many-ceos-and-leaders-think-that-silence-is-indeed-golden-that/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
