Say the Quiet Part Out Loud

Two clients last week have “open secrets” in their organisations, and my advice to both was to say the quiet part out loud.

One is tiptoeing around the fact that a prominent delivery milestone won’t be achieved on time; the other doesn’t want to admit to a highly consequential HR issue (not the kind you’re thinking of).

Staff at both are far too busy propping up the Potemkin village to actually solve the underlying problem—nevermind doing their day jobs or advancing the company strategy.

The problem with elephants in the room is that they tend to crowd out everything else. Point them out and they start shrinking.