I had the opportunity to train a remarkable group of Learning and Development professionals from a prominent company last week. The training session, called CONNECT for Teams, focuses on creating deeper connections within teams, including hybrid and remote teams. During one of the breakout sessions, there were lively discussions and brainstorming activities. As I actively participated in one particular breakout, I noticed that one participant was holding back. It was evident that they had valuable insights to contribute. Later, in a one-on-one conversation, I probed further and discovered that they were suppressing some great ideas and contributions to the team. It was at that moment I highlighted that they were "violating their own constitution by censoring their freedom of speech." That is how I like to present self-censorship. This prompted a discussion on the topic of self-censorship, its reasons, and its implications. Let's talk about it.

As a leadership development...