| Do you think the truth has anything to do with | | | | ruled the room. |
| change? Really? It does and I'll show you what I | | | | After some time a coder who was sitting on the |
| mean. Several years ago I was working a project | | | | floor of the conference room with his head down |
| for a company doing around $8 billion dollars a | | | | raised his hand. I said go and he said, "Pain |
| year at the time when the CEO decided to | | | | avoidance!" It threw me a bit and I asked for an |
| improve every process ten times... thus the | | | | explanation. He said simply, "It was easier to tell |
| project was dubbed 10X. | | | | them what they wanted to hear than to tell them |
| It was colossal in its size and scope. They put | | | | the truth, it was just too painful". Herein lies the |
| two hundred people on the project and ninety | | | | lesson of truth and change. |
| consultants and planned a mere two years, at the | | | | Leaders must make it safe to tell the truth. They |
| behest of the consultants, to complete the | | | | must create what I call an Umbrella of Safety |
| end-to-end redesign of every process in the | | | | where it is okay to tell the truth. Why did Enron |
| organization. The advice was that they could do | | | | happen? One reason was that it was not okay to |
| this in one year design and one year | | | | tell the truth. It is always important but during |
| implementation. Foolhardy but we all embarked on | | | | times of change in an organization it is more |
| the journey. | | | | important than at any other time. In the example |
| The redesign included accounts payable, | | | | above the handheld computer left the field |
| receivable, a new handheld computer for the retail | | | | integration testing lab with 187 known defects. |
| side of things, inventory system and you name it. | | | | That happened because to the leaders the |
| The size and scope made it impossible to | | | | timeline was much more important than the truth. |
| complete but what made it worse was the | | | | It is a leadership responsibility. |
| complete absence of truth. Not only did anyone | | | | Imagine a continuum running from left to right. |
| not want to tell the Emperor he had no clothes, | | | | Now divide that continuum into a block on the left |
| telling the truth was punished severely. | | | | representing ten percent of the line, and a block |
| Well as you can tell this was a train wreck waiting | | | | on the right representing another ten percent. |
| to happen. The change train was barreling down | | | | That will leave you with eighty percent in the |
| the track and it was just a matter of time. The | | | | middle. The left ten percent represents people like |
| operations group headed by my boss was given | | | | me who will tell the leader the truth, as I or you |
| the project to 'implement' at the two year and | | | | see it anyway, regardless of the consequences. |
| three month mark. The only problem was there | | | | Now the ten percent on the right represents |
| was nothing to implement that actually worked. | | | | people who will lie to you no matter what. They |
| One example was the handheld computer. At six | | | | lie because they are liars so don't spend any time |
| weeks before test launch when my partner and I | | | | on that since liars lie. |
| took over the project for implementation we | | | | Now the eighty percent in the middle represents |
| were presented with a balsa wood model. That is | | | | most people in today's organization who tell |
| not a misprint; we were presented a balsa wood | | | | situational truth, they do what I call 'abuse the |
| model. At the four week mark the actual unit | | | | truth'. They do that because of the leaders in |
| showed up and was eight pounds instead of the | | | | today's organization and their need for political |
| design of four and wouldn't pass the four foot | | | | correctness and inclusion at all costs. The leader's |
| drop test, only two. Yet, the rollout was destined | | | | job is to move the block on the left, truth, as far |
| to be so the new unit passed through the field | | | | right as they can. This means on your continuum |
| integration test lab with flying colors. | | | | you will have thirty, forty, maybe fifty percent |
| What do you think happened? In the field it | | | | who will come in and tell you the truth. You do |
| bombed in three days and my partner and I had | | | | this by creating a safe environment and seeking |
| the train wreck sitting right before our eyes. | | | | the truth rather than the answer you want. |
| When we got the design crew together we said, | | | | If you don't create an Umbrella of Safety in your |
| "We have to know what happened. No one gets | | | | change work you will fail. It will not be a question |
| shot here, there's a new Sheriff in town so relax | | | | of whether you will fail; it will be a question of |
| and tell us the truth". It was a classic and silence | | | | when. The choice is yours. |