It’s a pattern we see over and over again – companies ignoring clear warning signs in business-critical programs until things spiral out of control.

By the time they finally acknowledge the mess, fixing it is way harder and far more expensive than it ever needed to be.

But here’s the thing.

These failures don’t happen in isolation. Dozens of people see the cracks forming but choose to tow the party line – instead of speaking up.

And that’s how small problems quietly snowball into full-blown disasters.

So why does this keep happening? And more importantly, how do you stop it?

Why Companies Stay in Denial

· Wishful Thinking – Leaders want things to go smoothly, so they convince themselves that early problems are just bumps in the road. (They’re not.)

· A Culture of Silence – Nobody wants to be the person who says, “Hey, this isn’t working.” If raising concerns gets you labelled as negative or uncooperative, people will just keep quiet and hope someone else speaks up.

· The Herd Mentality – Once senior leadership signals that everything is “on track,” people fall in line. Even when they know things are going wrong, they’d rather nod along than be the lone voice of dissent.

· Short-Term Thinking – Many companies are obsessed with hitting the next milestone, the next report, the next quarter. Digging into real execution problems takes time and effort – things that don’t always fit neatly into those short-term priorities.

· Willful Blindness – Some companies choose to look the other way, hoping problems will magically fix themselves. (They won’t.)

· Too Late to Admit It – When you’ve invested time, money, and credibility into a program, it’s painful to admit things aren’t working. So people double down instead of making a course correction.

How to Catch Issues Early and Avoid Unnecessary Pain

Make Problem-Solving Normal

If flagging issues gets you shut down or brushed aside, no one will speak up. The best organisations reward honesty and treat execution risks as challenges to fix – not as career-ending admissions.

Break the Groupthink

When everyone agrees too quickly, something’s off. Leaders should actively seek out dissenting views and challenge the comfortable consensus. If everyone is too eager to say “we’re fine,” dig deeper.

Look at the Data, Not Just the Spin

Feel-good status reports don’t solve problems – real execution metrics do. If dependencies aren’t nailed down and key milestones keep slipping, there’s trouble ahead.

Get an Outside Perspective

Independent reviews cut through internal politics and provide a reality check. Bringing in outside experts can help companies face the truth – before it’s too late.

Reward the Truth-Tellers

People need to feel safe raising red flags. If leadership punishes people for bringing up risks, don’t be surprised when no one warns you before a disaster.

Fix It Early or Pay Big Later

The longer you wait, the harder (and pricier) it gets to fix things. Acting early might feel painful, but ignoring problems until they explode? That’s a whole lot worse.

 

Final Thought

Ignoring execution issues doesn’t make them go away – it just guarantees they’ll be bigger and uglier down the line.

The real failure isn’t when things go wrong; it’s when dozens of people see it coming and do nothing.

The question is: are you willing to break the cycle?

About the author

David Hilliard is founder of Mentor, specialists in strategic program execution.

You can call him on 0118 359 2444 or email david.hilliard@mentoreurope.com.