The leader (let's call him "Carl") had been CEO of his company (let's call it "Acme") for just a few months. For his first few weeks on the job, Carl was busy meeting people and figuring out his priorities, so he had not had a chance to get together with a large group of employees.
Today was Carl's first employee town hall meeting. He was determined to make it a success, so he spent a lot of time preparing his presentation and working with his team to make sure everything would be perfect.
And the meeting started out really well. Employees paid close attention to Carl's presentation. People seemed positive and upbeat.
And then (theme from Jaws) it was time for questions. An ominous silence fell. After a few painful minutes, someone raised her hand. That question (and the CEO's answer) led to others, but the Q&A session never really took hold. It felt like a struggle, not like an engaging, meaningful encounter.
Sorry, Carl, despite your best intentions, you are at least somewhat responsible for the fact that employees didn't participate. Your employees had a lot to say, but they responded to subtle (or not so subtle) cues about whether it was safe to speak up.