Hey Unfiltered Folks,

Answer: Because you punish honesty.

When someone says "this sucks," you get defensive. You shut them down.

So they stopped being honest. Now they just agree with you and complain behind your back.

You trained them to lie to your face.
This is your fault.
You can't handle the truth.

Every time someone brings you bad news, you shoot the messenger. So they stopped bringing news.

Question to Consider: What happened the last time someone told you bad news?

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Why: Honest teams require safe environments. You haven't created one.

Here's what happened: someone pointed out a problem. You didn't like it.

Maybe you argued. Maybe you got defensive. Maybe you shot the messenger. They learned: honesty gets punished. So they stopped being honest.

Now they tell you what you want to hear. "Yeah, the product's great!" Meanwhile, they're in Slack saying it's broken. You don't hear the real problems until it's too late.

The cost? You're leading blind.
You don't know what's broken.
Your team doesn't trust you.
They don't tell you the truth. So problems fester.

By the time you find out, it's a crisis. Your best people leave because they can't speak the truth. The ones who stay are the ones comfortable lying.

You've created a culture of deception. All because you couldn't handle someone saying "this sucks." Leaders who can't handle bad news create cultures where bad news gets hidden.

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Action: Create safety for honesty this week.

Ask someone: "What's broken that I'm not seeing?"

When they tell you, thank them. Don't defend. Don't argue. Just listen and thank them.

Do this every week.
Reward honesty.

Soon, people will start telling you the truth.
But you have to prove it's safe first.

Stay Unfiltered,
— Andy

P.S. Leaders who can't handle bad news create cultures where bad news gets hidden.

P.S.S. Buy my book to get 75 of the most painful leadership problems and fixes.