Dangerous Secrets
& Vital Lies
And those who let the cat out of the bag.
I recently read an essay by James O'Toole, Speaking Truth in Power, in Transperancy: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor ... that was simply magnificent.
By the way, I am going to start to read everything I can by this guy. I LOVED him. Check him out at his HOME PAGE.
It sparked considerable reflection on my part and will give rise to a number of posts in the next few weeks. One of his topics was on whistleblowing.
Whistleblowing is when an insider reveals damaging secrets an organization does not want revealed. Here are a few of my thoughts that summarize his argument. (Which he copiously illustrates with examples from politics, military and business.)
(1) It is a fact that organizations do not always (or even often) serve the public good or the greater good. Nor that they believe their mission is to do that. For most organizations, the bottom line is to be profitable (at all costs).
(2) It is a fact that organizations have dangerous secrets and that they vital lies so they can ignore what is wrong, hide what is unethical, ignore the facts and continue doing business as usual.
(3) It is a fact that many of the most highly positioned leaders are not deeply ethical, moral leaders. The entire system of leadership training in our most presigious universities has been seriously lacking in fostering ethical leadership.
(4) It is a fact that few organizations have good systems in place for rigorous debate, to challenge unquestioned assumptions, to argue against senior leaders . . . and for those who do, there are almost always consequences.
(5) It is a fact that within every organization are individuals who are more moral than its senior leaders, whose conscience burns when it sees wrong-doing and who are stuck between a heavy rock and a crushing hard place.
(6) But those individuals have an EXTREMELY HARD TIME calling attention to what they system wants to ignore and what has already been "spun" differently. In most cases, there are few mechanisms for "truth telling" in organizations, and even fewer for "speaking truth to those who lead."
WOW.... think about that one for a while.
With options for truth telling and open dialogue squashed and squelched, frustration builds as the problems grow severe and finally, "a few" whistleblowers can no longer be quiet. They go public with what they see and know.
**********
It is a fact that whistleblowing is almost always a HUGE RISK for the whistleblower.
First, because they are labeled by the organization as disloyal, angry, uninformed, vindictive, etc. Slander is one of the favorite tools from the regime. And it tends to work.
Second, because the public generally does not like whistleblowers. This one surprised me. But O'Toole has the stories and the research to back this up. He had a list of names and situations of whistleblowers who suffered for speaking up and telling the truth. (By the way, he also illustrates is nicely from history and literature, as well as contemporary times.)
Third, even when they are believed, they lose. They lose jobs, future opportunities, livelihood, friends and respect.
(Found on the website listed in the next paragraph)
It is tough being a whistleblower. It requires a robust character and a strong moral system. It requires emotional intelligence. It requires a willingness to suffer. (Be sure to check out this brief article on Myths of Whistleblowers) by a leadership professor who specializes in this topic.
*********
And how about this? It is often WOMEN who are those who are the whistleblowers. O'Toole has some fascinating thoughts about why women are willing to do this. He affirms our great need for the leadership strength of women.
*********
How about you?
If you are a leader, are you creating mechanisms for truth telling on your team, in your department, in your organization?
If you are a leader, how do you receive bad news and counter-arguments against your personally held positions? What do you do when you are challenged and your positions are criticized?
If you are a follower, what truth are you not speaking, because it is too costly to tell the truth?
Brian K. Rice
Leadership ConneXtions International
www.lci.typepad.com
