Speak-Up Culture: When Leaders Truly Listen, People Step-Up

In fast-moving, high-pressure organisations, silence is rarely neutral. When people don’t feel safe to speak up, risks go unnoticed, innovation stalls, and trust quietly erodes. Yet many leaders still underestimate how much their own behaviour shapes whether people step forward or stay silent.

In this special Blend Book Club Live for our San Francisco community, Steve “Shed” Shedletzky joins us to explore what it truly takes to build a speak-up culture, one where people feel safe to challenge, contribute, and raise concerns, even when it’s uncomfortable.

Drawing on his bestselling book Speak-Up Culture and years of experience advising leaders across industries and geographies, Shed brings a deeply practical, human lens to psychological safety and leadership. This will be an honest, interactive conversation about what gets in the way of speaking up, how leaders unintentionally shut it down, and the small but powerful shifts that change everything.

Designed for senior leaders navigating scale, complexity, and diverse global teams, this session offers grounded insights you can apply immediately – with your teams, your peers, and yourself.