There is a moment in difficult situations where leadership must decide:

Do we engage — or do we contain?

Engagement requires listening, humility, and accountability.
Containment prioritizes documentation, positioning, and exposure control.

Both have their place. But when containment replaces leadership too early, the relationship is already lost.

I’ve seen leaders believe they “handled” a situation because the file was closed — while ignoring the fact that trust walked out the door.

Risk management may protect the organization on paper.
Leadership protects it in reality.