By Julia Langkraehr, a member of EO London and founder of Bold Clarity.
This post first appeared on Bold Clarity’s blog and has been reposted here with permission.

Do you remember the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes, by Hans Christian Andersen? When all his courtiers are too afraid to tell him that he’s naked for fear of being labelled stupid?

As a business leader, do you ever feel that sometimes your team might be trying to tell you something but can’t?

This is the result of a culture where a team is afraid to be open and honest. It’s a culture that makes them fearful of telling their colleagues and leaders (like you) the truth. Even if the truth is hurting your business.