Law 8: Sometimes No News Is Good News

Judgment: Check on your skeletons, before they check on you…

Introduction

This industry is not for the faint of heart, be prepared for long drawn-out periods of defeat, followed by short intense victories; a last-minute promo, a product recall, a fire you didn’t start but have to put out.

Most of the time, you’re sitting in the valley, staring at a blinking cursor or a slow sales day, wondering if anyone even knows you exist.

It’s easy to start spiraling when you don’t hear anything.
But in business? Silence isn’t punishment. It’s space.
And sometimes space means trust.

Observance of the Law

A new hire was brought on to help build a department from the ground up. No blueprint. No babysitting. The owner gave him one directive:

“Figure it out; you will not use me as an excuse. If i have to figure it out, what do i need you for?”

The owner disappeared into other parts of the business. When he came back, the hire would give full rundowns—projects finished, systems built, problems solved.

The owner’s response every time?

…“Good.”

When that new hire made the company hundreds of thousands in ROIC?

…“Good.”

When he lost thousands and wrote a full P&L breakdown explaining why?

…“Good.”

The goal wasn’t perfection. It was accountability.

Over time, he gained so much trust that he created a title no one had ever held before—and none have held since. Because he didn’t just do the job. He made his boss’s job easier. And in return, he got everything.

Transgression of the Law

The same new hire, empowered and trusted to run big projects, started digging deeper. On one assignment, he began analyzing product costs.

Why does it cost us $3.00 to produce this when competitors do it for less than half?

He started asking questions. Real ones.
Questions that peeled back layers.
He flipped stones that hadn’t been touched in years.

And then—
An email came. Not from his manager. Not even from his market’s leadership.
But from the Director of the department.
A name he’d never seen before.
Thousands of miles away.

“Kindly requesting you pause work on this project.”

Harmless? Maybe.
But God doesn’t reach down from the heavens without a reason.

The message was clear: Stop asking questions.
Because sometimes budgets hide more than inefficiencies.
Sometimes the cost isn’t just in dollars—it’s in who’s been cashing the checks.

Interpretation

Here, the silence doesn’t mean you’re forgotten—it usually means your leaders are putting out fires somewhere else.

If they’re not checking in on you, it’s because you’re not the problem right now.

Don’t confuse attention with value. The loudest employee isn’t always the most respected. And the ones who need constant praise? They become liabilities in a business where bandwidth is gold.

Learn to lead yourself. That’s when people really start to notice.

Keys to Power (How to Use It):

• Check your ego. Don’t break your arm trying to pat yourself on the back.

• Document wins. Just because no one’s asking doesn’t mean you shouldn’t track success.

• Use quiet time to build. That’s when your foundation gets stronger.

Reversal (When It Might Not Apply):

If you’ve just started, or something feels off—don’t sit on it. Check in, clarify expectations, and get on the radar. But once you’ve proven yourself? Learn to appreciate the stillness. That’s where real growth happens.

Margin Notes:

“In a storm, silence isn’t absence—it’s trust.”
“Needing constant attention is a liability, not a strength.”