"DATA CAN POINT BUT CAN'T TOUCH. THAT'S YOUR JOB."
COVERT INSTINCT® PT. 1
SUBJECTIVE EXECUTIVE SYNDROME
You are managing a simulation, not a company. As executives become dependent on automation and dashboards, they lose touch with the pulse. You rely on KPIs and OKRs to tell you the health of the organization.
Here is the fatal flaw: That data is entered by humans who have a vested interest in looking good. KPIs measure compliance. They do not measure intent.
It is impossible for your internal team to collect objective data, because they are the subjects of the study. You are basing your strategy on reports that have been scrubbed, polished, and filtered before they ever hit your desk.
YOU CANNOT BE THE SCIENTIST AND THE SPECIMEN SIMULTANEOUSLY.
"TRUE LEADERS DON'T WEAR DISGUISES."
COVERT INSTINCT® PT. 2
BOSSES AND SUPPLICANTS
Pulse Metrics and Engagement Surveys often provide a misleading picture, better reflecting Compliance than Candor. Your people aren't telling you what's wrong; they're telling you what they think you want to hear to keep their jobs.
When you walk onto the floor, the environment shifts. It is the Observer Effect: The presence of Authority alters the behavior of the Subject. You see "Peak Performance." You see "Compliance." You see what they want you to see.
How can you improve the organizagion's condition if you never see its reality. Surveys and Town Halls are theater. The truth is what happens in the breakroom, on the loading dock, and in the unspoken glances between managers when you leave the room.
"If you want the truth, you have to stop announcing your arrival."
"COMPLIANCE IS WHEN PEOPLE DO IT, TRUST IS WHEN PEOPLE SAY IT."
OUTSIDER'S INSTINCTS + INSIDER'S INSIGHTS
You're going to need an Objective Outsider placed Inside to harvest the data you seek.
Leaders must possess accurate data to effectively make decisions and lead the organization. When relegated to eavesdropping or shallow questioning methods, subjective biases may potentially corrupt accuracy and undermine the integrity of the leader. Additionally, most of your direct reports lack the expertise to identify systemic issues instinctively.
To acquire the qualitative and quantitative information desired, you'll need an expert who's objective and unlike you, disassociated with a title or rank. This trusted confidant should have the ability to analyze your processes and gauge the pulse of your organization proficiently.
CRAIG NEAL® THE COLLABORATOR®
COVERT INSTINCT®
RESEARCH INITIATIVE
Relying solely on what you think you know can become a strategic liability. Gathering information requires that you seek accurate information. Every ecosystem is distinct. To harvest the truth requires precision, not a subscription.
Whether identifying systemic disparities or uncovering sabotage, the situation requires an Objective Confidant who can navigate the environment without triggering the corporate immune system.
You cannot rely on what people say on a survey. You must rely on what happens when the "Boss" isn't watching. The resulting data is not a spreadsheet; it is a mirror.