Paid for telling the truth…

Have you ever “paid for telling the truth?” I have. In fact, I believe it cost me the promotion I thought I deserved back in the day. You see, I told my leader the unvarnished truth and he made me pay for it. Ever been there yourself? I’m most certain you have. This is why most leaders live in information vacuum. Do you see it?

Leader, don’t miss this. If you want to receive any truth from your team, remember they have paid for telling the truth. And, they don’t want to cash in again. Your job, as a leader, is to make it safe. Your job is to ask them what they’re thinking when you sense they’re tweaked. Your job is to understand they’ve paid for telling the truth in every other system they’ve worked in prior to joining your seemingly safe haven. Your job is to tune in and listen for the little shards of truth your team offers. You may have a few truth tellers you are paying. You may.

Here’s what’s funny about BTL and our job as builders. We are paid for telling the truth. We’ve moved from paid for telling the truth to paid to tell the truth. As I told my client today during practice 59, he is paying me to tell him the truth; his team, not so much. Your team is paid for doing their job. I guarantee you they don’t think it’s their job to tell you the truth. Don’t believe me. Just ask any surgical nurse when was the last time she told the Head of Surgery anything resembling a tough truth regarding his performance under pressure. Don’t believe me. Ask any flight attendant when was the last time she told her Captain the truth that she and the other flight attendants can’t stop talking about regarding him and his leadership.

Don’t believe me. Ask your team. Remember, however, they’ve had a history of paying for telling the truth…