I recently sat down with Sue Hawkes, CEO of YESS, certified EOS implementer, bestselling author, and contributor to Forbes, Fast Company, Inc., and Entrepreneur. She’s spent decades inside leadership teams helping them execute, not just talk .
And one story from our conversation says it all.
When a Leadership Team Breaks Without Saying a Word
On paper, the company looked strong.
Profitable. Experienced leadership team. Everything appeared aligned.
Then, in the middle of a session, the head of sales got up… and left.
No argument. No confrontation. Just walked out and didn’t come back.
That moment exposed something deeper:
Not conflict.
Avoidance.
Why Avoidance Is a Performance Killer
Avoidance feels safe in the moment.
But it’s expensive.
As Sue puts it, you’re trading short-term comfort for long-term pain .
Small issues compound.
They turn into broken trust, poor decisions, and stalled growth.
What Avoidance Actually Sounds Like
You’ve heard it before:
- “Let’s take that offline.”
- “We need more data.”
- “Now’s not the right time.”
- “I’ll handle that one-on-one.”
That’s not progress.
That’s delay.
The Growth Trap Most Companies Fall Into
One company kept raising goals every year…
While missing the current ones.
Until someone said:
“What if we don’t need to grow… what if we need to shrink?”
They downsized.
18 months later, they had doubled.
The Danger of Protecting High Performers
A top salesperson drives revenue…
But destroys the culture.
Leadership tolerates it.
Until the team forces the issue:
“It’s either them… or us.”
Why “Nice” Cultures Hold Companies Back
Nice sounds good.
But in practice, it often means:
Avoiding truth.
Protecting comfort.
Delaying hard conversations.
The best teams aren’t just nice.
They are honest.
The Real Work of Leadership
Sue’s new book, Issues: Remove Friction, Fast Track Your Growth, and Ignite Your Greatness, focuses on what most leaders miss:
The ability to identify, discuss, and solve real issues.
That’s where growth happens.
Watch or Listen to the Full Episode
Check out the full podcast (audio):
Check out the full conversation on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TEx2sPy3e7U
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Final Thought
Avoidance doesn’t feel like a problem.
Until it is.
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