Make It Safe to See the “Ugly Babies”

Public metrics only help when people feel safe telling the truth. If you want a team that surfaces problems early (instead of hiding them), you need two things working together: visual measures posted in the open, and a leader response that turns bad news into learning, not punishment. The attached document is clear that the purpose of posting metrics is not to prove one department is fine, it’s to create a “thinking environment” that helps multiple groups work together and stay close to “actual reality.”

This is a practical guide you can use the next time someone points out an “ugly baby,” a problem everyone can see, but nobody wants to name.

Why Visual Metrics Fail Without Psychological Safety

A board full of numbers feels objective. But people don’t react to numbers, they react to what the numbers mean for them.

When results are publicly visible, a quiet fear can show up fast: “If this looks bad, will I get blamed?” The attached document shares an example from an IT group where teams resisted a public self-assessment because a poor score could reflect negatively on them. Some teams chased a perfect score out of fear, others stopped after scoring because they didn’t believe action was the real point.

That is the hidden risk of visibility: it can create compliance, defensiveness, and gaming.

The better goal is simple:

• Make problems easy to see.
• Make it safe to talk about what people see.
• Make it easier to act than to argue.

The attached document says visuals make it easier to point out the “ugly babies,” if leadership makes it safe for people to say it.

Set the Purpose Before You Post the Metrics (So They Don’t Become a Weapon)

The attached document uses the phrase “information democracy” to describe what good visual reporting does: it removes filters between layers and departments.

But that only works when leaders remove fear. The document warns that measurement systems can increase fear when leaders use metrics to blame instead of improve. It also echoes Deming’s message to drive fear out of the workplace.

Use this short leader script before your first public review.

A leader script you can say out loud

1. Purpose: “We’re posting these metrics to help us work better across groups, not to make one team look good.”
2. How we will think: “We will look at the process first, not hunt for someone to blame.”
3. Permission to disagree: “If you disagree with the data, say it. A conversation can clarify or correct what we’re seeing.”
4. What we reward: “Surfacing issues early helps us learn faster. That’s what we want.”

Then keep three simple working agreements visible near the board:

• Facts first, then feelings.
• Disagreement is useful, if it stays respectful.
• Actions give credibility to the numbers.

The 4-Step Leader Response When Someone Surfaces an “Ugly Baby”

In the moment of bad news, your first reaction teaches the culture what is safe.

The attached document includes a powerful leadership lesson: “Share bad news first, no problem is a problem.”

Here is a simple 4-step response pattern that supports that mindset.

Step 1: Receive (make it safe in your first sentence)

Your job is to lower fear fast.

Say:

• “Thank you for bringing that up.”
• “I’m glad we can see it.”
• “Bad news first helps us improve.”

Avoid:

• Eye rolls, sarcasm, or “How did this happen again?”
• Jumping straight to a fix before you understand

Step 2: Clarify (get to shared reality)

The attached document explains that when metrics are publicly displayed, they become a communication tool. If anyone disagrees with the data, a conversation can happen to clarify or correct it.

Ask:

• “What exactly are we seeing?”
• “What does this number include, and what does it not include?”
• “Do we agree the data is accurate?”

Your goal is not to force agreement on a story. Your goal is to agree on what is real.

Step 3: Reframe (look at the process before blame)

The attached document stresses a shift in perspective: problems often come from processes, not individuals.

Say:

• “Let’s look at the process first.”
• “Where in the workflow did this start?”
• “What part of the handoff might be creating the problem?”

This is how you keep metrics from turning into fear.

Step 4: Act (close the loop with a clear next step)

The attached document is blunt about this: making things visual doesn’t “work magic.” Decisions and action are what give the numbers credibility.

Close every “ugly baby” conversation with:

• Owner: Who will lead the next step?
• Next action: What will we do to learn more or remove the barrier?
• Timing: When will we review again?
• Support needed: What tools or help are required?

If people share problems and nothing changes, they stop sharing.

Make Your Visual Board Useful, Credible, and Easy to Maintain

A visual system should help people work together, not create extra work.

The attached document offers practical guidance for making visuals work in real life:

• Involve the people who will use the tool and define its purpose together.
• Keep it simple enough to update fast (the document notes it should take less than 15 minutes daily, ideally less than 10).
• Focus on a handful of metrics, not a long list that conflicts and confuses.

It also highlights a key improvement move: don’t stop at lagging results. Look for drivers by repeatedly asking what drives the performance of the metric.

A quick “board quality” check

Ask yourself:

• “Does this help us work better across departments (not just inside one silo)?”
• “Do people believe the number is fair and influenceable?”
• “When this is red, do we know what decision to make next?”

If the answer is no, the board will drift into either fear or boredom.

Build Trust So People Keep Naming Problems

The attached document describes trust as coming from three behaviors: openness, credibility, and making and keeping agreements.

This matters because public metrics create public moments. People are watching how you respond.

Two practical habits from the attached document help here:

• Probe to learn. Ask questions to understand instead of rushing to be the hero with the answer.
• Recognize contributions. The document explicitly calls out expressing gratitude and positive feedback as a meaningful leadership practice.

If you want one simple move: the next time someone brings “bad news,” thank them in front of others for protecting the team from surprises.

Public metrics make reality visible. Your response makes reality speakable. If you want to change the culture, start small: pick one metric, post it openly, and the next time it turns red, practice the four steps. Then ask yourself one honest question: Did my reaction make it safer, or riskier, to tell the truth next time?