When Speaking Up Isn’t Enough: Turning Honesty into Better Decisions
Time
10.00 - 10.30
Details
Psychological safety is often framed as a cultural goal, but its real value is only realised when it changes the quality of decisions being made. Many teams say it’s “safe to speak up”, yet still struggle to act when uncomfortable truths are raised.
This discussion explores what happens after people speak up. Drawing on real delivery experiences, participants will examine where honest information gets stuck, ignored, or diluted, and how everyday leadership and governance behaviours either enable or block the flow of useful truth. The focus is on practical shifts that turn candour into better decisions, not just better conversations.
Key Features
This Birds of a Feather session will leave you with:
- Practical ideas for responding when difficult information is raised
- New ways to frame meetings, reporting, and escalation conversations
- Clear, immediately usable actions they can try in their own teams to improve decision quality
James Evans BSc (Hons), MSc, FAPM is a PMO leader with over a decade of experience delivering operational, digital, and strategic change across complex public service environments. He currently leads a PMO supporting major health and care priorities, with a strong focus on clarity, delivery realism, and better decision-making.
He is the founder of EvaP3, an independent, community-driven platform sharing practical resources, honest insight, and lived experience from across the project profession. EvaP3 is built around peer learning, open dialogue, and raising the standard of how project work is actually done.
A recognised voice on psychological safety in project and programme environments, James’ master’s research explores how trust, inclusion, and challenge drive stronger outcomes. His work was recognised as a finalist for the APM Societal Impact Award 2025.
James is a regular speaker, writer, and mentor, passionate about creating safer project environments and using shared learning and challenge to improve how projects are led and delivered.