What’s difficult? What I’m about to say is difficult. I don’t like saying it, but it’s the truth. People lie.

When they lie the impact is expensive and painful. What lie am I talking about?

It’s the lie of:

“Yes boss, I’m all in.”
“I’m with you.”
“Let’s rock this thing.”
“I think you’re brilliant.”
“This will take us to the promised land.”

They are looking right at you shaking their head north and south on the outside, but on the inside their head is going east and west and they are thinking, “No way!”

Behind the scenes they are circumventing whatever it is you’re trying to do. They don’t want the change you’re trying to implement and they have convinced themselves that the old way is the best way. They have a hidden posse of followers that they have gathered up to help spread the negative propaganda.

They will act like they are in the boat rowing with you, but at the same time they are drilling holes and letting the water seep in.

They will play along with you for some period of time as if they support the idea, but plant seeds of doubt to convince you that you’ve got it wrong and that we need to go back the other way.

In the end, one of two things will happen. You will listen to them and bail out of the idea. Legacy thinking wins again. Or you figure out what’s going on and send them packing.

Either way it’s going to be expensive and painful for you.

It would be a lot less expensive and painful if you had figured it out sooner.

You’d figure it out a lot sooner if you would just pay attention. That’s all I’m gonna say, Tommy Gibbs