The saying ‘elephant in the room’ is about when there is something really obvious going on, and no one is talking about it. In my experience, this happens a lot in organisations.

Pointing it out means that you might find yourself having a difficult conversation and this is the reason many of us pretend there isn’t an issue. In a lot of cases, not pointing it out makes things worse. Before you know it you have a fully blown problem.

If there was something going on in your organisation, and it was as obvious as having an elephant in the room, do you or others have the courage to point it out?

Leaders accept that having difficult conversations about important issues is part of their responsibility to the organisation and others. If they choose not to confront the issue, they let the organisation, those they lead, and themselves down.

Next time you get your people together, have the courage to say “righto guys, where are the elephants and what are we going to do about them?”