Leadership radar: The leader’s edge in sensing the unspoken

It happened in less than thirty seconds. The meeting hadn’t even started, yet the room was already speaking volumes. The quick, almost imperceptible glances across the table. The subtle tightening of an executive’s jaw when another shuffled papers too loudly. The slight pause before someone responded to a casual “Good morning.”

To most, it was just another Monday morning. To me, it was a flashing warning sign.

“Developing your leadership radar isn’t about being psychic; it’s about deliberate attention, structured curiosity, and courageous follow-up.”

Leaders often think their biggest decisions happen when they speak. In reality, they happen when they listen not just to what is said, but to what is left unsaid. The most effective leaders I have worked with share one uncommon trait: a finely tuned radar for reading the undercurrents. They notice the unspoken hesitations, the quiet enthusiasm, and the subtle changes in energy that will later evolve into either breakthroughs or breakdowns.

Leadership isn’t just about charting a direction; it’s about sensing when the terrain is shifting. In organisational life, change rarely announces itself politely. It whispers through side conversations after meetings, a dip in responsiveness to emails, or a subtle shift in tone during regular updates.

These micro-signals are easy to miss, especially for leaders preoccupied with strategic plans, deadlines, and performance metrics. Yet ignoring them is costly. Harvard Business Review reports that leaders who actively scan for these subtle cues improve team trust by up to 52 percent. Gallup’s State of the Workplace study adds that disengaged employees often display warning signs for months before their performance noticeably drops. Leaders with a “leadership radar” notice early and intervene before small concerns become cultural fractures.

Consider Pixar’s Ed Catmull, who institutionalised “Braintrust” sessions: safe spaces where anyone could offer candid feedback without fear of retribution. This wasn’t about creating more meetings; it was about surfacing hidden tensions early. The result? Fewer last-minute crises and a culture where problems were solved before they metastasised.

The challenge is that many leaders operate with what I call tunnel hearing. They are attentive when issues are formally presented but miss the ambient noise of organisational life, the hallway chatter, the energy shifts in a meeting, and the unexplained absence of a usually vocal contributor.

Developing your leadership radar isn’t about being psychic; it’s about deliberate attention, structured curiosity, and courageous follow-up.

Don’t treat meetings as transactional exchanges of information. Pay attention to the atmosphere before, during, and after the discussion. Who arrives early? Who lingers afterwards? Are people leaning forward with interest or leaning back with detachment? Often, body language tells you more than the spoken word.

Tune into what’s not being said. When a normally outspoken team member is unusually quiet, don’t just note it; create space to check in privately. Ask open-ended questions such as, “I noticed you seemed quieter than usual; what’s on your mind?” Avoid making assumptions; give them room to share in their own words.

Proactive leaders design opportunities for candid sharing, short, regular pulse checks, small group huddles, or anonymous surveys that invite micro-feedback. These aren’t bureaucratic exercises; they’re the equivalent of routine health checkups for your culture. When small concerns surface early, they are easier to address and less costly to resolve.

Read patterns, not just events. One awkward meeting doesn’t necessarily signal trouble, but three in a row with the same dynamic probably do. Your radar sharpens when you track patterns over time, not just isolated moments. Keep informal notes of mood, participation, and energy shifts. You will be surprised how clear the trends become.

When someone shares a concern, acknowledge it and take tangible action. Even if you can’t fully resolve the issue immediately, let them see that you’re moving the ball forward. This builds trust and encourages people to surface issues sooner next time.

Strengthen your “second ear”. Your radar isn’t just about your own observations; it also relies on trusted lieutenants who notice what you might miss. Cultivate relationships with people at multiple levels who will tell you the truth, even when it’s inconvenient.

Without a well-tuned radar, leaders end up managing symptoms rather than causes. By the time issues are formally raised, they’ve often grown more complex, political, and emotionally charged. Early detection buys you options—more time to address concerns, more room for creative solutions, and more goodwill from your team.

This is especially critical in hybrid or remote work settings, where you can’t rely on physical proximity to sense the room. In those contexts, leaders must be intentional about checking in, not just on deliverables, but on people.

When was the last time you spotted a subtle shift in your team’s mood before it became a bigger issue?

What patterns of disengagement or tension might be quietly forming under your leadership?

Are you relying solely on formal reports to assess health, or are you actively scanning for invisible signals?

For the next seven days, discipline yourself to be the last to speak in every meeting. Spend that time listening not only to the content but also to the context. Note posture, tone, participation, and side comments. Immediately jot down your observations, no matter how minor. At the end of the week, review your notes. You will likely see early indicators of both risks and opportunities that would have gone unnoticed.

Leadership radar isn’t built in a day; it’s refined in the quiet, seemingly insignificant moments where most people aren’t paying attention. But those who tune in early rarely must scramble later. In leadership, as in life, it’s not the loudest signals that matter most; it’s the ones you catch before anyone else hears them.

About the author

Dr Toye Sobande is a strategic leadership expert, executive coach, lawyer, public speaker, and award-winning author. He is the CEO of Stephens Leadership Consultancy LLC, a strategy and management consulting firm offering creative insight and solutions to businesses and leaders. Email: contactme@toyesobande.com