When Fear Becomes a Management Tool: Speaking Up in a Culture of Silence

By Dr. Jerry Mercado

CEO Psych-Evolution, LLC & Mental Health Advocate

Let’s talk about something that doesn’t get addressed enough: toxic management and the culture of fear that allows it to thrive. I’ve lived it. I’ve seen how fear becomes currency in certain workplaces. How managers use intimidation, manipulation, or passive-aggressive tactics to maintain control. And how, over time, employees stop speaking up, not because they agree, but because they’re exhausted, afraid, or convinced it won’t change anything.

That silence? It’s not neutral. It’s complicit.

The Psychology of Silence

There’s a reason toxic managers get away with so much. Fear shuts down communication. It creates a power imbalance where employees begin to self-censor, avoid conflict, and protect themselves by staying quiet. And when no one speaks up, the toxic behavior becomes normalized.

A 2025 study from Rollins College found that toxic leadership has a direct and significant relationship with employee silence, often mediated by organizational cynicism. In other words, when employees lose faith in leadership, they stop trying to fix it.

Another study from Oxford Leadership highlights two types of silence:

• Ineffectual silence: where employees believe speaking up won’t change anything

• Defensive silence: where they stay quiet to protect themselves from retaliation

Both are dangerous. Both allow toxicity to spread.

Fear as a Management Strategy

Toxic managers often operate through fear: fear of being replaced, fear of being humiliated, fear of being excluded. And when fear becomes the dominant emotional tone in a workplace, it’s no longer about collaboration or growth. It’s about survival.

I’ve been in that space. I’ve worked under leadership that used fear to silence dissent, reward incompetence, and punish authenticity. And when I finally spoke up, calmly, professionally, and with integrity, I became the problem. Not the behavior. Not the dysfunction. Me.

That’s the trap. Toxic systems protect themselves. They gaslight the truth-teller. They isolate the one who dares to name what others are afraid to feel.

Why Employees Stay Silent

Silence isn’t weakness; it’s often a trauma response. People stay silent because they’ve learned that speaking up leads to punishment, exclusion, or emotional harm. But silence also erodes self-worth. It creates internal conflict. It disconnects people from their values.

And the longer it goes on, the harder it becomes to speak at all.

Breaking the Cycle

Speaking up is hard. It’s risky. And yes, sometimes it makes you the target. But it also makes you free.

When we name toxic behavior, we disrupt its power. When we validate our experience, we reclaim our voice. And when we refuse to participate in silence, we create space for others to do the same.

I know this because I lived it. I stayed silent for too long, watching dysfunction unfold, watching fear dictate decisions, watching good people shrink. And when I finally spoke up, I was labeled disruptive. Difficult. The problem.

But that moment of rupture became my awakening.

Leaving that toxic environment wasn’t just a career move—it was a rebirth. It gave me the clarity and courage to launch Psych-Evolution, LLC, a space built on emotional safety, authenticity, and trauma-informed care. A space where silence isn’t demanded, and truth isn’t punished.

And as I walked away from fear, I felt alive again.

Organizations need to do better. They need to create psychologically safe environments where feedback isn’t punished, where leadership is held accountable, and where fear isn’t the foundation of culture.

But until then, we speak. Even if our voice shakes.

A Message to Those Still Inside

To my former colleagues who are still in that environment, I see you. I know the weight you carry. The quiet calculations. The emotional exhaustion. The moments where you wonder if it’s you, if you’re overreacting, if speaking up is even worth it.

Let me say this clearly: You are not the problem.   Your discomfort is valid. Your instincts are wise. And your silence, while understandable, does not define your strength.

You have more power than you’ve been led to believe. The ability to name what’s wrong. To protect your peace. To choose something different. That power lives inside you, even if it’s been buried under fear or fatigue.

I know what it feels like to stay quiet for too long. I also know what it feels like to finally speak, and to walk away. Leaving wasn’t easy. But it was necessary. And in that decision, I found myself again. I found breath. I found clarity. I brought my dream Psych-Evolution to come true.

If you’re still there, I hope you’ll remember this: You deserve emotional safety. You deserve respect. You deserve to work in a space that honors your humanity, not just your productivity.

And if you ever choose to speak, to step out, or to reclaim your voice, know that you’re not alone. I’m rooting for you. Always.

References:

Toxic Leadership & Organizational Cynicism (Rollins College Study) Café de Carvalho, V. A. (2025). When leaders silence employees: A study of toxic leadership and organizational cynicism (Doctoral dissertation, Rollins College). Dissertations from the Executive Doctorate in Business Administration Program, 55. https://scholarship.rollins.edu/dba_dissertations/55

Ineffectual & Defensive Silence (Oxford Leadership Study) Dedahanov, A. T., Abdurazzakov, O. S., Fayzullaev, A. K. U., & Sun, W. (2022). When does abusive supervision foster ineffectual and defensive silence? Employee self-efficacy and fear as contingencies. Sustainability, 14(1), 231. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010231