Elephants in the room, sacred cows, and third rail issues are poison to the organization (department). Every organization has them and everyone knows them, but they’re too scared to address them. The reality is that just because they don’t get talked about doesn’t mean they’re not damaging the organization.

As a leader, you have to put a name on the elephant in the room. You have to call it out, and that’s scary. Touching a third rail issue or sacred cow can cause some serious negative consequences. There’s a reason it’s called a third rail issue.

But just because it’s scary doesn’t mean you get to ignore it. This is when leadership gets dangerous. Everyone wants to be the chief until it’s time to do chief stuff. You have to find the courage and fortitude to deal with the issue. It will require strategy and tact to bring about change. It will take time and patience. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but if you don’t start to figure it out now the change will never occur.