The Emperor's New Clothes

In the story The Emperor's New Clothes no one wanted to tell the Emperor the truth. Even though the Emperor wasn't wearing any clothes, everyone pretended that things were just fine. When the Emperor finally discovered the truth he was shocked, embarrassed and angry. In addition, I believe that the Emperor was PUZZLED. Why do I suggest that the Emperor was PUZZLED? He was puzzled at the fact that no one was willing to tell the truth!

The Emperor (the identified leader) had created a climate in which truth telling was discouraged and avoided at all costs. The end result was that (almost) everyone ignored the obvious! In their book, Leading High Impact Teams, Cynder Niemela and Rachael Lewis assert that a successful team leader "Seeks truthful feedback to continually grow and develop as a leader." and "Listens fully to what others have to say, and encourages truthful self-expression." (p.59)

If you would like to avoid experiences like the Emperor in this story, consider the following questions:

On a scale from 1 to 10 (10=we tell the truth all the time, 1=no one ever tells the truth), how would you rate the level of truth-telling in your organization?
Why do you think most people in your organization refrain from truth telling? What's the pay off?
What steps could you take to foster a safer climate for truth telling?

Here are a couple of quick tips:

Do your best to make communication a 2-way street. Ask questions. Listen. Try not to be defensive. Hear what's really being said.
Pay attention to your "gut instinct". In the Emperor's New Clothes the people weren't the only ones avoiding the obvious. At some level the Emperor knew something wasn't right.
Find ways to discover the WORD ON THE STREET. Provide opportunities for feedback.
Reward Truth Telling! As hard as it might be, affirm people's willingness to go-out-on-a-limb.