You think you’re getting the truth, but you’re probably not—at least not the full truth, the unfiltered truth, or the kind of truth that would actually change how you lead.
Because if you’re in a leadership role, people are filtering what they say to you.
It’s not a question of if. It’s a question of how much.
At a certain level, people aren’t just answering your questions. They’re calculating the cost of their answers.
Some of it is unconscious. They shape their words to match what they think you want to hear.
Some of it is strategic because they’ve learned that honesty has a price.
Some of it is self-preservation because they’ve seen what happens when someone speaks too freely.
So, instead of clarity, you get:
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Polished updates instead of real concerns.
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Diplomatic feedback instead of the hard truth.
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“We’re working on it” instead of “This is about to fall apart.”
By the time you realize you aren’t getting what’s really happening, it’s already costing you something.
The Hidden Cost of Leadership Blind Spots
You don’t see the gaps when things are running smoothly. You don’t notice the silence when things appear aligned. You don’t realize people aren’t telling you everything until a decision you made backfires.
By then, it’s too late.
You thought execution was on track until you found out people weren’t fully bought in.
You thought your leadership presence was strong until you realized you were being overlooked in critical conversations.
You thought your company culture encouraged open dialogue until you lost key talent because no one told you they were struggling.
And the worst part is you’ll never know how many issues you could’ve prevented if someone had just told you sooner.
Why People Aren’t Telling You the Truth
By now, most people aren’t blind. They know (or see) that leadership is political. Honestly, that’s fine, but it means you’re less likely to get the desired kind of engagement or results you want.
It doesn’t matter how open you think you are or how much you say you “welcome feedback,” or how strong your leadership instincts are.
If people believe that honesty is risky, you will always get so-so commitment and some watered down version of the truth because here’s what’s at stake for them.
The risk to their career.
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If they challenge the wrong thing, do they lose opportunities down the line?
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Do they get labeled as “difficult” or “not a team player”?
The risk to their relationship with you.
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Do they lose trust or access if they push too hard?
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Do they feel like your perception of them will shift if they challenge you?
The risk of getting it wrong.
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What happens if they voice a concern, and they’re the only one saying it?
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Do they regret speaking up if it doesn’t land well?
Most of the time, they don’t even realize they’re filtering their words. They just shape the truth in a way that feels safe—and safe truth isn’t real truth.
What This Is Costing Your Business
Stagnant results
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You roll out a new initiative, but execution slows because your team isn’t fully aligned.
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You set new performance standards, but the needle doesn’t move because the real blockers haven’t been surfaced.
Negative consequences
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You take a risk moving a key team member into a higher role, choosing a vendor, or shifting strategy, but now you’re dealing with unexpected fallout.
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You make an internal decision that looks good on paper, but six months later, you realize it eroded trust instead of building it.
Wasted leadership, employee, and productivity time.
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Meetings go longer than they should because people aren’t surfacing the real issues.
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Teams spin their wheels because decisions are being made based on partial information.
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Leaders make assumptions without knowing what’s really happening at every level of the business.
The question isn’t just “Are you making good decisions?” The question is “Are you making decisions with full visibility?”
The Work That Actually Changes This
This isn’t about improving communication, building psychological safety, or creating a feedback culture.
This is about making better business decisions.
Effective, well-respected, thoughtful leaders don’t just tolerate honesty. They reward it (or are at least open to the idea of rewarding it).
They actively show that pushback is valuable, not dangerous.
They train their teams that telling the truth earns them trust, not costs them.
They create a work environment or culture where silence isn’t the easy way out.
Because at this level, you don’t just need strong decision-making skills. You need a system to ensure you’re not leading blind.
This is the kind of work I do with people managers and high-level leaders.
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Helping them see what’s actually happening, not just what’s being presented.
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Creating real-time leadership clarity so they don’t waste months fixing the wrong things.
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Sharpening their decision-making process so leadership isn’t about guessing—it’s about precision.
The biggest risks in leadership aren’t the ones you see coming. They’re the ones you never saw at all because people were too scared of the consequences, so no one told you.
If you’re navigating high-stakes decisions and know you need sharper clarity and thoughtful strategic guidance, let’s talk.
Leadership doesn’t fail when decisions are hard. It fails when you can’t see the full picture and no one tells you the truth before you make them.
Schedule a Maximizer Discovery call. Let’s discuss some of the challenges you’re facing as you work to move your project, your team, or your organization forward.
About Donell Hill (aka “Donnie”) and Life Maximizer
Donell Hill (“Donnie”) is the Founder and CEO of Life Maximizer, a coaching and consulting company dedicated to helping leaders and organizations create meaningful impact while prioritizing well-being and sustainability. Combining over 15 years of experience with a trauma-informed approach, Donnie works with executives, business owners, and rising leaders to develop clarity, resilience, and authentic leadership practices.
Through workshops, coaching, and tailored strategies, Donnie equips his clients with the skills, insights, and practices to lead with confidence, communicate effectively, and cultivate lasting fulfillment in their careers and lives. Life Maximizer has partnered with leaders from companies like Atlassian, Grammarly, Stripe, Instacart, and UCSF to foster cultures of care, trust, and excellence.
Donnie’s mission is simple yet powerful: to see leaders joyfully succeed— to see them well-rested, well-paid, and deeply appreciated—not just for their productivity, but for their humanity.