Why CEOs must champion the “explain more to me” culture

Working with many organizations across industries, we have observed a hidden leadership blind spot that consistently undermines performance:

Leaders hesitate to ask clarifying questions.

In environments where leaders feel pressure to appear exceptionally intelligent, knowledgeable, or always in control, they often avoid asking, “Can you explain this further?”

But this hesitation - rooted in pride, fear of judgment, or the desire to “look smart”- quietly erodes organizational capability.

Why is this blind spot is so costly?

When leaders do not seek clarity:

• Knowledge gaps remain unaddressed
• Wrong assumptions drive major decisions
  • Teams lose opportunities
    • Execution becomes flawed
      • The organization pays for one person’s silence

        And the cost is not abstract - organizations lose real business, real value, and real competitive advantage.

        In one of our consulting engagements, a bank lost a highly valuable business opportunity - worth hundreds of millions - because a key officer did not understand a financial concept discussed during an executive session.

        Rather than ask for clarification, he stayed silent.

        When a prospective client later asked him to explain the concept, he could not. The client walked away, and the opportunity disappeared.

        • Not because of competence.
        Not because of market pressure.
        But because pride prevented a question that could have taken 20 seconds to ask.

        This scenario repeats itself in organizations every day.

        A culture where people pretend to understand - rather than seek clarity - is a culture that will eventually sabotage performance.

        CEOs must actively model and reinforce behaviours that say:

        • Asking questions is a strength.”
        “Seeking clarity is leadership.”
        “No one is above learning.”

        When leaders at all levels feel safe to ask, “Can you explain more?”, organizations make better decisions, move faster, and build deeper capability.

        Whether in boardrooms, strategy sessions, or team meetings, the strongest

        • leaders raise their hands and ask:

        • “Walk me through that again.”
        • “What does this mean for us?”

        These leaders do not lose credibility - they gain it.

        Because clarity drives performance.
        And curiosity fuels capability.

        As the CEO, always remember, not everything that can be counted truly counts.

        If insights like this resonate with you, follow our company’s Linkedin page for exclusive CEO-level perspectives and actionable strategies to build high-performance, system-thinking organizations.

        For further inquiries or to discuss how Mentoring Consult Ltd can support your organization’s strategic transformation, please contact us at transform@mclgroup.net or reach us via phone or WhatsApp at +372 5838 2595.