The sky is green
Bob: "The sky is green."
Bridgette: "Are you sure, Bob? I'm looking myself right now and it's blue."
Bob: "Oh. Right. The sky is blue."
Bridgette: "So you agree?"
Bob: "Yes."
Bridgette: "So, what made you say it was green?"
Bob: "Oh, sorry. I thought we were talking about something else."
Bridgette: "Sure."
A week later, in an important meeting, in a mixed group of people.
Bob: "So, as we all know, the sky is green."
People turn to Bob and Bridgette, with questioning looks at the two colleagues who were expected to be working lockstep with one another. Meanwhile, Bridgette questions herself: Do I correct Bob again now, in front of everyone? Again, later? After this has happened so many times, Bridgette knows Bob will find a way to slip out from scrutiny even in a large group anyway, so she decides to say nothing at all.
Have you ever had a professional interaction like the one above? My wife and I talk about the "The sky is green" problem all the time. Sometimes it's ignorance and a lack of attention; other times, it's clearly more about overconfidence or ego. To me, it reads similar to some of the more egregious AI hallucinations I've witnessed. We encounter these people in our daily professional lives, often people in very senior positions even, and they say things that just make no sense whatsoever, yet they do so with the utmost confidence. Or, worse, what they say isn't just nonsense; it contradicts facts, which could cause organizational damage.
The "The sky is green" problem compounds, though, when it's paired with a slippery admission like "Yes, of course, you're right," or an excuse like pretending they thought you were talking about something else. Then you watch as, after some indeterminate amount of time, the person inevitably states their nonsensical contradiction again.
Personally, I think a green sky problem is a leadership failure. If people are frequently allowed to slip out from under the truth and offer their own contradictions to reality, despite others calling it out, it starts to suggest it's actually acceptable. It says to others that the truth is subjective, not objective—not that we'd care to measure it anyway.
I've noticed something about myself as I continue to coach others, build and lead teams, and otherwise exist as another cog in the machine like everyone else: I cannot abide dishonesty. If you tell me the sky is green once, I'll give you the benefit of the doubt that it was an honest mistake, but I'll politely correct you, point you to the right answer, explain why it's right, and help you navigate it. But if you keep parading around announcing the sky is green, I will not tolerate it. Especially if our names are even remotely connected. I don't want the contamination. I seek (or provide) leadership intervention once we start to dispute hard truths.
- Polite correction.
- Benefit of the doubt.
- Examine associations.
- Seek or provide intervention.
The alternatives are either that other people begin to believe the sky is green or stop speaking up about it because they recognize nothing will be done. Then our time and space fill with noise. Noise that makes it hard to pull other objective truths from.
In case you're curious or forgot, the sky is blue because particles and gases in Earth's atmosphere scatter short-wavelength blue light from the sun in every direction. Blue light scatters more than other colours because it travels as shorter, smaller waves.
Also, the names Bob and Bridgette come from one of my favourite sci-fi series: the Bobiverse! Big recommendation.
