When silence becomes survival, accountability doesn’t stand a chance.

People don’t stop following up because they forget.They stop because they’ve learned the cost of being the one who asks:

“Where’s the thing you said you’d deliver?”

They’ve seen what happens: Eye rolls. Snide replies. Being labelled “difficult”.Then the quiet punishment: exclusion, avoidance, fewer invites.

So they adapt.Back off.Stay quiet.Stay “safe”.

Meanwhile:Deadlines slip.Standards drop.Trust erodes.

Not because people don’t care –but because the culture has made comfort safer than challenge.

Here’s the kicker: Every time someone stays silent to stay included,the whole system gets weaker.

So don’t ask: “Why aren’t people following up?”

Ask: “What does it cost them when they do?”

If challenge leads to punishmentand silence leads to acceptance,

you don’t have a healthy culture.You have a comfort trap quietly rotting your organisation from the inside out.