I see smart, experienced leaders make bad decisions. Not because they’re wrong, but because they like to GSD. They’re wired to execute and move on. They have a truth, but not the full picture.
There’s an old parable about three blind men trying to identify an elephant simply by touch.
One touches its side and says, “It must be a wall.”
Another touches the leg and says, “No, it’s a pillar.”
The third grabs the tail and insists, “You’re both wrong. It’s a rope.”
Each one is describing something real.
Each one is telling the truth.
But none of them can see the whole elephant.
That’s what happens on leadership teams.
Leaders have a truth. It’s earned. It’s real. And under pressure, they often make decisions without inviting other perspectives. Not out of ego, but because speed matters. Once they see the answer, conversation can feel unnecessary.
I’m not proud to admit it, but for a long time, I led this way. I trusted my experience and was impatient with anything that felt slow or inefficient. I wanted to keep things moving. What I didn’t realize was that I was making decisions with partial truth.
The Leadership Move
Strong leaders don’t rush to speak. They lead with curiosity, not because they’re unsure, but because they know they don’t see the full elephant.
Curiosity isn’t about asking endless questions. It’s about creating space for other perspectives and healthy conflict, knowing your view is only part of the picture. Leaders who do this avoid blind spots, make better decisions, and build teams that own the outcome.
Great leaders evolve from being the smartest person in the room to leading with curiosity.
This doesn’t mean slowing everything down or giving every opinion equal weight. It means asking, “What might I be missing?” and creating the conditions for people to answer honestly before you decide.
That’s why EOS insists on building companies that are open and honest.
Open means teams are genuinely receptive to different perspectives.
Honest means saying what needs to be said. No holding back. Everything on the table.
When teams are open and honest, conflict becomes a search for the truth. Real issues surface and get solved. People buy in because they had a chance to weigh in. Execution improves, momentum builds, and leaders don’t have to carry every decision themselves.
When leaders don’t build this kind of culture, people stop speaking up. Critical information stays hidden. Issues get revisited instead of resolved. Decisions are made with partial truth. And the business becomes heavier than it needs to be.
Final Thought
Great leadership isn’t about having all the answers.
It’s about creating the conditions where more of the truth can be seen and better answers can emerge.
The real question leaders must answer is this:
Have I built an environment where people tell the full truth before decisions are made?
Lead with curiosity. See more of the elephant. Make better decisions.