I was reminded of something last week while listening to CBC Vancouver Early Edition hosted by Stephen Quinn. He was interviewing Nicolas Jimenez, President & CEO of BC Ferries, in advance of the Made in Canada Ferries and Rail Summit.

Mr. Jimenez’s opening remark—

“My hope is we have an honest conversation about where shipbuilding is today.”

That line hit the big red WTF button in my head. It took me back to rooms I’ve been in where we were trying to solve a problem but weren’t having an honest conversation. We struggled to admit what our current reality really was. In fact, we were often more than willing to avoid acknowledging there was a problem at all.

That’s when I made a mental note: this was gold for a LinkedIn post. Because not defining reality precisely—and not being brutally honest about it—can stall progress, waste energy, and erode trust.

On the day I was planning to write this post I came across a story about an innovation being deployed at this year’s Women’s Rugby World Cup, smart mouthguards will flash red if they detect potential concussions requiring further assessment.

As Sky Sports put it:

“This sport has a self-confessed safety problem—could flashing mouthguards be the answer?”

Here’s the leadership lesson: rugby has accepted its reality without spin. Head contact is dangerous. Period. That’s why the rules are strict: contact to the head is out of bounds. Not tolerated. Even accidental contact carries a minimum 10-minute penalty, with further review to decide if it should mean ejection.

When you’re brutally honest about your reality—and driven by purpose (in this case, prioritizing player safety)—you create space for innovation and meaningful solutions.

The question for leaders: Are we being that honest about our own challenges?