Summary: The article discusses a pattern of failure in projects where reporting appears positive until it suddenly turns negative, highlighting a “thermocline of truth” that obscures real issues from upper management. This disconnect often stems from fear of reporting bad news or a desire to maintain a favorable image. To combat this, leaders should create a culture that encourages honesty and proactive problem-solving, ensuring they receive accurate information about risks and project statuses.
A thermocline is a temperature barrier between a surface layer of warmer water and the colder, deeper, water beneath it. The analogy persists that in many organizations there is a thermocline of truth that represents a barrier to accurate information coming from those who know reality to the management or higher executive layer who are shielded, implicitly or explicitly, from the truth of particular situations. (View Highlight)