The 13 Behaviors: #7 Confront Reality

The 13 Behaviors: #7 Confront Reality One of the fastest ways to build trust, as the leader of any organization, is to confront reality. The "elephant in the room" or the "sacred cows" of a situation must be faced if any organization is going to improve and survive. However, this is sometimes quite difficult since people often become accustomed to ignoring reality. People may be shocked when confronting reality but they will also be relieved that the unmentionable or unquestioned is exposed. Confronting reality focuses the creative energy of the entire team on the most significant problem/issue. Confronting reality treats coworkers as valued members who can handle difficult problems and helps create alignment of the team toward the most significant obstacles. Confronting reality should not be confused with confronting people (though that may be necessary too) the problem should remain the focus. The counterfeit of Confront Reality is denial (and I would add; downplaying/ minimizing/dismissing). Of course this behavior hues closely to many of the other behaviors including #1"Talk Straight." Both the book and the Strong Bonds curriculum explain these principals in great detail and help you figure out how to apply them in your context.** Army Leadership Doctrine: Confronting reality is one of the major tasks of every Army leader since building trust is vital to success/survival. ADRP 6.0 Mission Command, Paragraph 2-9 says, "A critical challenge for commanders, staffs, and unified action partners is creating shared understanding of their operational environment, the operation’s purpose, problems, and approaches to solving them." For Army teams to conquer problems confronting reality is essential.