Yes, Bring the Truth in the Room. No, Don’t do This…

Time to Read: Just under 2 Mins

Don’t bring the whole truth in the room, just for the sake of it.

Yes, truth, openness and elephants are critical to your success – as a team, in projects and as an organisation…as long as it is about the issues that really matter.

This is the key – focus on the key issues – opportunities and challenges – that have to be focused on, when they need to be focused on. Talk openly; contribute your point of view, help each other to develop solutions and you will move fast forward.

Especially on the 10% of issues that deliver 90% of your value.

In Naked Leader we work with organisations, teams and leaders on identifying these and ensuring people raise the points that have to be raised, when they need to be raised.

We have also experienced three ways and reasons it is unhelpful to bring all the truth in the room:

  1. It gets too personal – If you have negative feedback about someone, tell them to their face, in private, not in front of everyone.
  2. Don’t use “truth in the room” as a weapon or excuse for rudeness – stay focused on the issues, and be professional.
  3. The incidental and irrelevant – “and while we are bringing truth in the room on performance, that night security guard wants sacking”, a genuine comment made during a totally different discussion. If that happens, park and revisit that comment – and do so, at the right time, with the right people, in the right way.

Truth and Elephants in the Room brings great power – and with great power, as Spiderman once told us, comes great responsibility,

With my love and best wishes,

David
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WARNING – Don’t try this in the boardroom!

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