Each Sunday our goal is to share a piece of gold with you. Some small piece of information that helps you to have a better week and achieve a better outcome.  

One of the toughest and most important jobs for a leader to do is to become a broker in the truth. In Adapt or Die, I talk about how important it is to love the truth even when we don’t like it. The longer I operate in business, the more I know this to be the case. When we are dealing with a product, we have to know the truth about how people perceive the product, where and how it creates value, if they can justify spending on it in comparison to the competition or competing priorities, how it performs over time, and if people would purchase the product again.  

There is no place that is more important to be a broker in the truth than when you are dealing with people, because feelings will cloud perception, and people’s perception is their reality. Because of this, when dealing with issues, we must start by finding the facts, but also recognizing the feelings. In the 3 P’s Worksheet that you gain access to as a part of registering your purchase of the book, we ask some key questions when solving a people puzzle.  

Here are a few of those questions:  

  1. Why do you believe this is a people problem? 
  2. What (if any) feelings are created by this problem?  
  3. What (if any) fears are created by this problem?  
  4. What are the facts that that exist about this problem?  

By using the 3 P’s Worksheet, we can recognize the feelings in a situation but separate them from the facts. When we do this, we can serve the individuals involved by making sure we are bringing to light the fears, insecurities, frustrations, anger, or even jealousy that may exist in a situation. Then we can deal with the facts (the truths) about the situation to ensure we are making the best decisions and facilitating the next steps that create the best value for everyone involved as well as for the organization.   

Being a broker in the truth enables and empowers organizations to focus on what matters. It allows leaders to make a difference by removing feelings that may cloud a viewpoint but still honor the individual by recognizing and/or removing the fears that get in the way so the individual can bring the value they were hired to fulfill. As leaders, we must serve the entire person. This includes their feelings while still brokering in the truth.  

The goal of Adapt or Die is to build better leaders who run better companies and change the world. Better leaders doesn’t just mean better at running the business’, but also, better at taking care of your people. I hope these questions and thoughts help you do just that as you learn to love the truth.