A few years ago, I sat in a cross-functional review where everything looked “green” on the dashboard. Timelines were intact. Service levels were respectable. And yet, something was off, a ‘too good to be true’ kind of feeling. So asked with a smile, “Team, what’s the bad news we’re not hearing?” Interestingly, the room went quiet.
After the meeting, a manager pulled me aside and said, “Doc, people have concerns… but they don’t think it’s safe to say them aloud.” That moment reminded me of a hard truth: many organisations don’t suffer from a strategy problem. They suffer from a conversation problem.
