Page 212 - Fearless Leadership

Chapter

8

Talking Straight

Responsibly

I am more afraid of an army of 100 sheep led by a lion
than an army of 100 lions led by a sheep.
—CHARLES MAURICE DE TALLEYRAND-PÉRIGORD (1754–1838)

ow many issues are hidden from sight and remain unresolved, waiting
Hto explode with devastating consequences for your organization? How
many times have you found out too late that there is a problem? And how
many times do you find yourself intervening to get things back on track?
For companies that do not have a methodology in place for handling
breakdowns and talking straight responsibly, that sequence of events is a
daily occurrence.
We think we talk straight, but in practice, we fall far short of the mark.
We dance around the real issue and dole out information as though we
are dealing with the infirm, who in their weakened state are incapable of
handling straightforward communication. We think we are “protecting”
people from hurt, so we do not talk about things that add to their distress.
But our real concern is for ourselves, not others. We avoid the discom-
fort of confronting sensitive issues and broaching what appears to be unsafe
territory. We keep our real thoughts and feelings to ourselves, or hand them
out to a privileged few and tell them to keep it private. But there is a sig-
nificant gap between what leaders think is effective communication and
what people want to hear.

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