Why Aren’t You Addressing The Elephant In The Room?
Business owners have a seemingly never ending number of battles they need to fight to the point it can make them blind to the biggest issue they need to resolve – that massive five ton elephant in the room! And the elephant didn’t just show up yesterday – he or she has likely been around for a long time.
5 reasons you need to address the elephant in the room
1. The elephant is seen by everyone
Though the issue may have settled into the category of something that’s never openly discussed, and implicitly taken as a given, everyone can see it, and everyone knows about it. There’s no hiding the elephant in the room!
2. The elephant is holding your company back
Often it’s a people issue – either someone who delivers results but is not a culture fit, or someone who is not in the right seat, and their lack of fit for their seat is adversely impacting the company’s performance.
3. The elephant is symptomatic of deeper issues
Yes, the elephant issue is the explicit issue that needs to be dealt with. But the fact that the elephant has wandered around through the halls of your offices for so long points to a deeper issues that needs to be addressed and solved. Those deeper issues are often a lack of having an open & honest environment where anyone can raise any issue that needs to be discussed and solved for the sake of the business.
4. The elephant deserves better
When the elephant is a people issue, that person is not in a role where they can perform at their best. Too many leaders and staff members would rather not upset the apple cart by calling out people in roles who are hurting themselves and the company. As leaders we have to realize that making the tough call on someone who is either not a good fit culturally, or not in a role that allows them to excel vocationally, is really hard in the moment, but far better for everybody in the long run.
5. The elephant is undermining your leadership
Great leaders make the tough calls. Great leaders know they can’t make everyone happy, and are willing to endure short term pain for long term gain. When there is an elephant in the room, that only you as the owner have the power to resolve, then not dealing with the elephant is undermining your leadership. Your team will respect you more when you resolve the elephant in the room issue.
So What?
There are some things that only the owner of an entrepreneurial business can do - dealing with the elephant in the room is one of the responsibilities that cannot be delegated.
About The Author
Tom Barrett is a Leadership Team Coach based in Nashville, and is a Certified Scaling Up Coach™, Certified Pinnacle Business Guide, & former Certified EOS Implementer™. He helps his clients build scalable businesses by clarifying their vision, simplifying their strategy and achieving their goals one quarter at a time.