“I had no need for cheering dreams. Facts are better than dreams”
--Winston Churchill

I have been re-reading Jim Collins’ wonderful book Good To Great about what enables some companies to consistently outperform their competitors and develop into great organizations. He’s got a number of compelling insights into leadership and strategy—I heartily recommend the book, but I was particularly taken with the chapter on confronting hard, unpleasant truths.

It is neither easy nor pleasant to acknowledge when your organization is facing a thorny and scary problem. Humans have a natural tendency to rationalize a problem – ‘ yeah, the results were weaker than expected, but it was because the test group sample was chosen poorly.’ Or, ‘This downturn is just a blip. This strategy has been successful for twenty years and we’re not about to start changing our stripes now.’

This propensity to rationalize poor results without truly understanding the root cause puts organizations in harms way, and left unchecked can send a company spinning on a death spiral.

One of the findings of Jim Collins’ research team was that the good-to-great companies infused their entire decision making process with the ‘brutal facts of reality’. They picked up the rocks and looked at the worms. In fact, the good-to-great companies were almost neurotically eager to keep digging for worms. They liked the worms! Every worm they uncovered was one more problem that wouldn’t blind-side them and leave them in harm’s way.

To create a culture of worm diggers who are expected to shine a high beam on these ugly, squiggly things, the good-to-great companies work hard to make sure everyone is more worried about the worms than they are about upsetting management. Fear that your boss or the CEO will ‘blame the messenger’ is a sure-fire way to squelch the truth if it varies from what management wants to hear.

In Collins’ words: “The moment a leader allows himself to become the primary reality people worry about, rather than reality being the primary reality, you have a recipe for mediocrity or worse.”

So how do you create a climate where the truth is heard?

1. Ask lots of questions from lots of different people in lots of different areas and at different levels in your organization. You need to piece together the truth from people who own different parts of the whole answer. The purpose of questions is to gain understanding—never to put people on the spot or to manipulate them to your point of view. ‘Why did you screw up?’ is not a good question. ‘Don’t you agree with me on this?’ is not a question at all. Fiercely resist the temptation to ignore information you do not like or agree with.
2. Invite vigorous debate. Whether you are the CEO or managing a small group, do not shy from strong and differing opinions.
3. When things go south, find out what went wrong, but do it without finger pointing. If people are scared they will be singled out for blame two things will occur: the buck will be passed from person to person or department to department and people will stop taking risks.

There will always be more rocks with more worms wiggling in the dark. Good-to-great leaders and managers know that excellence and financial success reside in ongoing scrutiny, vigorous exploration to unearth the next worm and rigorous debate about what has been uncovered. Once a problem is identified and there is clarity around its origin, smart people can make smart decisions. If you don’t go digging for worms, you’ll be in the dark—just like them!

The best leaders of all, the people know not they exist.
They turn to each other and say ‘We did it ourselves.’
~ Zen Saying

Dina Silver, MCC, is the Principal of Pegasus Coaching Group.

I specialize in leadership coaching working with senior executives and their teams to create great leaders and high impact groups. I have enjoyed success working with technically proficient people who need guidance in developing the interpersonal skills that are essential to effective and compelling leadership.

My background in the entertainment industry as a feature film and interactive game producer effectively assists me in helping leaders develop powerful executive presence so that ideas and challenging initiatives are met with keen interest and excitement. In order to lead, people must be excited to follow!

I have enjoyed trusted advisor status with high performance individuals, teams and organizations, coaching in high tech, entertainment, banking, and marketing.

I hold a B.A. in United States History from Princeton University. I am a Master Certified Coach (MCC) and hold my credentialing through the International Coach Federation. In addition, I am certified in a range of assessment tools including DISC and PIAV, and am an active member of Professional Coaches and Mentors Association (PCMA) and the International Coach Federation (ICF). I am married, have two teenage kids, two fat black cats and live in Santa Monica, CA.

If you are interested in learning more about how my work may be of value to you and your organization, please get in touch. I am happy to offer interested prospects a complimentary and confidential half hour coaching session so you can take me and coaching for a test drive.