Transparency, in a holistic sense is essential.  Most leaders grasp that “management by gut” is inferior to “managing by gauge/facts”.  Nevertheless we frequently observe--especially in mid-size firms—the absence of essential measures and management processes; these tools can be very simple, but without them predictability is random.

 

Drivers know when they are speeding by observing the speedometer.  They compensate by easing off the accelerator.  In business, if sales results or other targets are off, we often observe a tendency to explain, rationalize, or simply focus more on the desired results, versus the specific actions to remedy the problem 

 

However, change and growth happen by focusing on actions, with the knowledge that many things drive results.  We perform actions, we get results.  We believe that it’s imperative to differentiate the behaviors surrounding our actions