Unveil the Elephant

Let’s play with the idiom: elephant-in-the-room. It’s a somewhat humorous portrayal of something more serious and that people intentionally avoid. Humans become very creative when evading an unpopular problem or solution. This is especially true when the solution to a complex challenge (or even a simple one) has an undesirable personal impact, or entails change and more work. I’ll open with a personal experience and then shift to why it’s important to unveil the elephant(s) in your Corporation.

In the evening (after dinner), I enjoy eating sweet treats. This habit became associated with relaxation and delivered an immediate (delectable) reward. But it also negatively impacted my health and well-being. Some people consider this easy to solve and call out the elephant-in-the-room as “not to buy and keep treats in the house”. I’m a registered dietitian who holds the belief that no food is a bad food - even treats - when eaten occasionally and in moderation. The latter phrase morphs the elephant into a bigger challenge for me. I cannot imagine a fully enjoyable life without treats and recently, one son brought me a kilo of black licorice from Germany. My goal was to identify the elephant to pin the blame on; it’s my evening fatigue. Once I acknowledged the right elephant, this led to the best solution that works for me. In the afternoon, I can better exercise mindfulness and enjoy an occasional (small) treat. After dinner, I promptly brush and floss my teeth. This takes time and the taste of toothpaste does not mix well with food (of any kind).

In Corporations, the elephant-in-the-room is described as a problem, difficult situation or an undesirable solution that everyone is aware of and understands that it’s a topic to be avoided. One strategy to avoid the elephant-in-the-room is to recycle a solution. For example, a request for more funding is a common go-to-solution for almost every challenge.

The elephant matures into a corporate social norm, an unwritten rule that guides human thought, dialogue, behaviour and actions driven by fear of conflict, reprisal or alienation. Obvious and unspoken truths may reveal issues at the leadership level that negatively impact people and even corporate success. For example, I read a LinkedIn post by a respected senior leader who quickly embraced the idea of keeping most things the same and only leaving a small window (or percentage of operations) open to innovation. By definition, this only enables small change(s), not innovation. Perhaps the elephant-in-the-room was a low tolerance for change or disruption, or personal concerns about one’s professional position, role and responsibilities.       

The elephant is a weighty burden that can increase tension in teams and among leaders in both public and private sector Corporations. Most importantly, it negatively impacts trust at all corporate levels and for their customers and clients too. Outsiders, such as clients, are not inhibited by corporate social norms and can often unveil the elephant-in-the-room.

What should a Corporation do with the elephant-in-the-room? One option is to continue to feed it. Another option is to gradually unveil the elephant, address it directly and eventually lead it out of the room.

A google search quickly retrieved articles that reveal an elephant-in-the-room:

Cartwright (2023) published an article entitled: The elephant in the room: cybersecurity in healthcare. The use of wired and wireless devices that connect to a hospital network pose a risk and vulnerability to cyberattacks for both protection of personal health information and operation of medical devices (e.g. ventilators, infusion pumps, implantable devices, etc.).

Two articles relevant to public service captured my attention. Giovannini and Griggs (2025) published an article entitled: Addressing the elephant in the room: what’s the local in local government studies? Their review cites the old adage that “all politics is local” because it encompasses “everyday practices of living”. The concept of “local” government is not easy to decipher. The elephant is fuzzy because of its complexity, interdependencies and multiple stakeholders.

An article by Zhao (2024) entitled: Addressing the elephant in the room: How do we understand value for money in transport Public Private Partnerships?  Value associated with public-private partnerships (e.g. in transportation infrastructure that enables the movement of people, goods and services) is more than cost or cost savings. There are many critical factors that need to be considered that contribute to value such as time, quality and safety. 

There are benefits reaped from exercising courage and addressing the elephant-in-the-room. It fosters open and transparent communication that builds psychological safety. It removes barriers to solving complex challenges or to implement a new vision. And, it is a catalyst for positive change that invites creative thinking, the segue to major innovation.

Cinder to Flame helps Corporations solve complex challenges with strategic services that energize people, fuel a healthy corporate culture and ignite major innovation.

Explore multiple facets of a healthy corporate culture to align people, unveil the elephant and generate more innovative solutions to complex challenges: https://www.cindertoflame.ca/blog

© Deborah (Ellen) Wildish, Cinder to Flame 2022-Present. All Rights Reserved.

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