An airline spent $5 million for a flight planning system, and spent another $25 million to get it working. A distribution company spent millions on a system and struggled for years to get it working with a fraction of the functionality. In the end, both companies said, “well, at least we persevered.”

When things are not going as expected, it can be challenging for a leader to admit something is not working. It is also tough to hear about struggles and resist the temptation of jumping in to ‘fix things.’

Speaking the truth about struggles requires vulnerability, integrity, and courage. However, that’s what will define you as a leader and allow you to lead them to a better place even if that means walking away from it.

You’ve got this.