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Confront the Brutal Facts and Expel the Elephants

October 2, 2018

Com­pa­nies can unwit­ting­ly be a safe haven for prob­lems, per­son­al­i­ties, belief sys­tems or behav­iors that are so obvi­ous yet no one wants to address them. These ele­phants in the room are detri­men­tal to busi­ness per­for­mance if they are not purged from the organization.

Are you har­bor­ing ele­phants in your hall­ways and board­rooms? If so, con­front the bru­tal facts, iden­ti­fy them and begin method­i­cal­ly expelling them from your busi­ness. This may involve dif­fi­cult deci­sions but har­bor­ing ele­phants will only hold you back while simul­ta­ne­ous­ly frus­trat­ing tal­ent­ed employ­ees who will sim­ply come to believe that sub­stan­dard per­for­mance is acceptable.

Ask your­self, does it make sense to keep this prod­uct, per­son, belief sys­tem or behav­ior if they are real­ly not adding val­ue and con­tribut­ing to the suc­cess of your com­pa­ny? If the answer is ​“no,” why keep bar­ri­ers to progress, per­for­mance and results in place?

Iden­ti­fy The Elephants

Orga­ni­za­tion­al ele­phants can take many forms. They could be:

  • A per­son who has been in the com­pa­ny far too long; it could even be one of the first employees
  • Unprof­itable prod­ucts or lines of busi­ness that every­one knows are fail­ing but they do not want to elim­i­nate; it could even be the prod­uct that start­ed it all for your com­pa­ny but is no longer a hot sell­er in the market
  • Process­es or sys­tems that have a loy­al fol­low­ing despite the clear lack of val­ue they con­tribute to the organization
  • An acqui­si­tion or invest­ment that real­ly does not fit with your core busi­ness strategy
  • Part­ner­ships or joint ven­tures that are in name only
  • Sup­pli­ers that no longer add value

In every quar­ter­ly meet­ing, ensure the exec­u­tive team talks about the biggest ele­phants in the room, or as Jim Collins says ​“con­front the bru­tal facts.” Ini­tial­ly there are nev­er any, but after an awk­ward 30 sec­ond silence, there are always one or two.

What are your elephants?

About Lawrence & Co.
Lawrence & Co. is a growth strategy and leadership advisory firm that helps mid-market companies achieve lasting, reliable growth. Our Growth Management System turns 30 years of experience into practical steps that drive clarity, alignment, and performance—so leaders can grow faster, with less friction, and greater confidence.

About Kevin Lawrence
Kevin Lawrence has spent three decades helping companies scale from tens of millions to hundreds of millions in revenue. He works side-by-side with CEOs and leadership teams across North America, the Middle East, Asia, Australia, and Europe, bringing real-world insights from hands-on experience. Kevin is the author of Your Oxygen Mask First, a book of 17 habits to help high-performing leaders grow sustainably while protecting their mental health and resilience. He also contributed to Scaling Up (Rockefeller Habits 2.0). Based in Vancouver, he leads Lawrence & Co, a boutique firm of growth advisors.