A Team That Can’t Talk Isn’t a Team

Why open communication, hard conversations, and preparation are essential to high-performing organizations

Chances are you’ve encountered some version of the phrase: “In today’s modern world, where humans are constantly connected through technology, we are actually more disconnected from each other.” It’s become almost cliché—but that doesn’t make it untrue.

The rise of mobile technology has placed information at our fingertips and expanded communication from intermittent written exchanges to instantaneous audio and visual interaction. By no means am I a technology hater. My career has been built around delivering secure, reliable information to connect mission partners and produce results. I’m old enough to remember floppy disks and the “sneakernet,” and I’ve lived through every major technological leap since. As we move further into an era shaped by machine learning and artificial intelligence, the way humans interact with one another will only become more complex—and more consequential.

Which brings me to a simple question: have we lost the art of interacting with each other?

One alternative to electronic communication is gathering as a team for discussion—what we commonly call a meeting. Many of us dread meetings the way we dread a trip to the dentist, yet we continue to schedule them and attend them begrudgingly. Why? Because at their best, meetings break through the technology barrier and create space for real, human understanding.

Meetings can be force multipliers—if they are done correctly. They require a clear purpose, prepared participants, deferred sidebars, checked emotions, and disciplined focus. The fact that those caveats need to be stated at all probably explains why meetings are so often ineffective. A typical staff meeting is full of landmines, and one misstep can fracture trust and derail progress.

One of the most underutilized tools in making meetings effective is read-ahead material. When analysis and recommendations are shared in advance, teams arrive ready to solve problems—not stall discussions with claims of being “caught off guard.” Without preparation, progress slows to the pace of the least-prepared participant. With it, meaningful dialogue happens quickly. Meetings shouldn’t be feared; they should be harnessed.

Technology absolutely has its place. It enables rapid coordination, asynchronous collaboration, and keeps teams aligned when operating in parallel. But difficult situations require time, presence, and conversation. Sometimes being heard as a teammate is a win in itself—regardless of the final outcome. Denying that opportunity limits a team’s potential.

Teams that avoid group discussion operate at a disadvantage. What may appear to be unity is often a collection of individuals pursuing personal preferences or hidden goals. Open, honest group communication is the remedy. Talking through hard problems together allows multiple perspectives to surface in real time and leads to faster, more durable understanding than fragmented conversations mediated by technology.

Discussions should not be viewed as confrontational by default. They are collaborative efforts toward a shared objective. When teams deliberately avoid discussion, dysfunction is already present—and left unaddressed, trust erodes. At senior levels, that erosion becomes cultural. Junior leaders observe the behavior, normalize it, and repeat it. The damage compounds across generations. The only antidote is a fundamental principle of high-performing teams: open communication.

You may hear feedback like, “I avoid meetings because I want to avoid arguments.” Why? An argument simply means ideas must be defended. Often, resistance to discussion masks a lack of preparation. It’s easier to say “just do what I say” than to lead through collaboration. Others may fear being exposed as unprepared in front of peers and retreat into one-on-one conversations instead.

One-on-one discussions have value—but only when used intentionally. Too many of them create the perception of tailored conversations, partial truths, or even collusion. Phrases like “coordination has occurred” can create a false sense of alignment while critical details remain unshared. True coordination requires a collective checkpoint before moving forward.

If someone avoids open discussion because they are unprepared, that is their character flaw—not yours. Lead by example. Be ready to explain your logic, accept scrutiny, and acknowledge when you’re wrong. That’s not weakness; it’s leadership. The goal isn’t to win the conversation—it’s to develop the best possible solution with the resources available. If the decision were easy, it would have already been made.

Organizations that avoid difficult conversations never reach the efficiency or performance they aspire to. They stay busy solving small problems while larger ones grow unchecked in the background.

Solve root causes together. Don’t treat symptoms in isolation. And don’t be afraid to talk to each other.

-----------------------------------------TEAR LINE--------------------------------------------

• Teams that avoid open discussion sacrifice clarity, trust, and performance. High-performing teams confront hard issues together instead of hiding behind technology or side conversations.

  
  

• Meetings become force multipliers when they are purposeful, prepared, and disciplined. Clear intent and shared context allow teams to solve problems faster instead of stalling progress.

  
  

• Leadership requires the courage to have difficult conversations in the open. When teams talk through problems together, they solve root causes—not just symptoms—and move forward with confidence.