The truth. What’s actually happening. This can be an uncomfortable subject, but the reality is that the truth is what gives you the power to change anything that needs to change. Let’s take a tangible example. Say your production team tells you they have real data showing that a cycle time is ten minutes when in reality, it’s 12. Two minutes makes a big difference! And that little two minutes means a loss of revenue, productivity, and a gain in standing around. Wow. Never mind the issue of why the team would lie in the first place. Maybe they don’t know how to count. Maybe they can’t time things properly. Worst of all, maybe they’re afraid of management retribution.
One of the single biggest stumbling blocks I see in my work is what might be described an aversion to the truth. This can come in many forms. Some might take the tenor of the example above. Others may present in double standards for management. Still others may come about as a result of plain old fear (yes, that classic nemesis). Regardless, this aversion means that we can’t move forward. A business that is unwilling to see and operate from the truth will never be able to move forward.
Whether we like it or not, truth does exist. We see it in the real numbers, the real experience on the line, the real execution of any process. The truth is in the results. In business, if we want improved results, we must deal in truth. Otherwise, we are actually lying about any perceived improvement – which means the company is struggling even more than we thought it was.
Are you in a business that is struggling? This can be a financial struggle, relational struggles, strategic struggles. Is it being honest about the struggle? Every business has its struggles. Those are the battle scars that, as it grows into a mature and stable entity, allow it to take its place amongst the places that are worth working for and in. Don’t hide your struggles – embrace them, and look for the wins as they come.
We find power in the truth because it allows us to make real change – change that can be assessed, measured, and redirected if necessary. Do you want to meet your goals this year? Don’t just set them – go back and see if you are actually progressing towards them. Goals that are set and then ignored are worse than having no goals at all.
How can you access the truth about your business when the whole thing seems to be falling down around your ears most days? The short answer: Discipline. The longer answer: Here’s three ways to create that discipline. (Disclaimer: This does not mean you won’t have days where things still feel insane. However, these are the first steps towards generating a fire-prevention approach instead of being stuck in fire-fighting.)
- Make time for thinking.
- Here’s where you roll your eyes and tell me all the things that went awry just this morning. Yes, I get it. This sounds like a big ask. But guess what? Those ten minutes you took for a walk around the building to clear your head or have a cigarette? Those ten minutes are space you could be making for some productive thought work around the truth of the organization.
- Making time to think is critical, but it doesn’t mean forcing thinking when you need a break. This is why I am encouraging you to schedule in some time slot for this activity – and yes, even ten minutes can be effective.
- Be honest with yourself.
- Ugh.
- Yes. This means, no excuses. In this space for thought work around the truth, there is no criticism. So you don’t need to defend yourself or paint a rosy picture. You just have to bring the facts and let them speak for themselves.
- Consider the wins as well as the challenges.
- The purpose of this exercise is not to self-flagellate and find reasons why you suck and should never have started a business in the first place. The purpose is to seek out the truth – and that means the good things as well as the challenges.
- As humans, we are more prone to focusing on the negative than the positive. What does this do? It tends to lead us into misery and depression. So as you are making space to think and being honest with yourself, be honest about the positives as well as the things that need work.
All three of these require discipline and will help you develop discipline in working on your business. Truth is everywhere, but it’s easy to hide from if you want to. You are strong enough to seek it out, however. And your business will be better for it.
Activity: Set the timer for 5 minutes. Consider one thing in your business that seems to be a real problem right now. If it’s something vague like, “We’re almost out of money again,” use the 5 Whys to get to the real issue (the 5 Whys: Ask, “Why are we almost out of money again?” When you’ve answered that, ask “Why ______” again. Keep asking why until you have reached the root cause). When you have identified the root problem, ask yourself what the truth is. The truth may be that the company is not managing its funds in a reasonable way. The truth may be that you yourself need to take up more responsibility than you really want to. From this point, consider what your next step might be to address this truth. You may want to pull in your team to help assess and direct energy.