How to tell the Emperor...

We all know the story about the Emperor's New Clothes - and many of us have been around long enough to have experienced the situation where we think that our leaders have been clearly led astray by some smooth-talking Jerry or Jane. But how do you tell the Emperor that he's not wearing a stitch of clothing and that everyone in the kingdom is snickering under their breath?

You don't!

No matter how tempting it is to walk up to the Emperor and share with him your keen insight that he is a fool, I can assure you that he really doesn't want to know. Deep down the emperor already knows that he's not wearing any clothes - but he's stick in this horrible dilemma:

I've gotten myself into this pickle and the only thing I can think to do is to embrace it until I can figure a way out!

This is where there is opportunity.

If you can find a way to tell the Emperor about a completely new and innovative set of threads that will make him look even more impressive than what he's wearing (which is basically his birthday suit!) then you are on a winning path.

The Emperor gets a way to very smoothly transition out of the current embarrassing situation. All of your colleagues (and possibly your shareholders) get to breathe a collective thank-gawd-that's-over sigh of relief. And you get to be the hero. Albeit without any of the fanfare.

The hero of this story is known - but not spoken of

You see, if anyone openly acknowledges that you have saved the emperor from ongoing embarrassment then it would require that they actually openly talk about how bad the situation is. And no one wants to do that. So you get to be the hero that everyone knows about - but they don't mention it. (At least not openly...)

The moral of the story

If you find your leaders are making decisions that are less than perfect - and embracing them fully rather than admitting the mistake. Don't join in on the snickering with all the rest of the people in the land. Give your leaders an out. Show them a new way which is truly beneficial to all of the stakeholders and restores faith to one and all. Your leaders and your colleagues will thank you - even if they never say a word.