Only I Have the Answers: The Loneliness of Leadership

In this installment of Ore-atory: Elevating Mining Minds, host Lindsey Schultz continues the “Talk is Tough” mental health series with returning guest Stephen Dummit and special guest Dr. Haydon Mort. The episode confronts the third stigma lie: “Only I Have the Answers,” exploring how this deeply embedded belief harms leaders, teams, and the bottom line.

Stephen opens by explaining how this mindset limits collaboration and cuts off valuable insights from the people closest to the work. Leaders who feel the need to have all the answers inadvertently shut down team input, driving disengagement and, over time, eroding trust. Lindsey echoes this with a personal reflection and introduces Haydon to share his perspective on how cultural and gender expectations reinforce this lie—especially for men in heavy industry.

Haydon offers a compelling story about discussing failure with his son and how societal norms train boys to bottle up emotion. Drawing from neuroscience, he emphasizes the cost of emotional suppression: increased stress, decreased safety, and long-term biological impacts. His message is clear—empathy isn’t soft, it’s strategic. It’s the key to unlocking better communication, collaboration, and ultimately, performance.

Stephen and Haydon then dive into real-world leadership tools that challenge this lie head-on. From active listening and open-ended questions to Chris Voss’ tactical empathy and psychological safety frameworks, they offer concrete steps that any leader or team member can take. Lindsey shares a case study of a female employee re-engaged through supportive leadership, highlighting how empathy in action directly improves retention and morale.

The episode also guides those lower in the hierarchy who feel unheard. Stephen and Haydon discuss how to frame input empathetically, align with leadership priorities, and deliver feedback in a way that resonates- protecting the speaker’s mental well-being while improving odds of being heard.

As the episode wraps, the trio reflects on how leadership cultures need to evolve to attract and retain talent. The mining industry’s future depends not only on innovation in engineering and sustainability—but also on the human elements that make those innovations possible.

Trust is the most valuable asset a mining company can cultivate—and it starts with leaders being brave enough to say, “I don’t know.”