When teams stop escalating, problems do not disappear; they go underground. In this episode, Antonio Irizarry breaks down how no-surprises cultures quietly delay truth until it becomes expensive, and how leaders can rebuild early signal with a clear escalation standard and a simple weekly practice. This episode also connects to Norevia Rising, because stories often reveal what dashboards hide.

Practice this week: Ask, "What are we calling green that feels red?" Then define four escalation triggers: customer risk, cross-functional help, heroics, and tradeoffs. Commit to one visible 7-day action.

Follow Compass To Practice for weekly leadership practices. On Spotify, answer the poll: What keeps teams from escalating risk early?

More: https://www.compasstopractice.com

References:

- NASA ASRS: confidential safety reporting.

- Crew Resource Management / United 173: speak-up training.

- Stop-Work Authority: a formal escalation standard.

Disclaimer: The views shared on Compass To Practice are my personal views and do not reflect those of my employer or any current or former company. I do not share confidential, proprietary, customer-specific, or employer-specific information on this podcast.

Meetings do not just review performance; they teach people what truth costs. In this episode, Antonio Irizarry explains how accountability can become theater, why teams edit reality under pressure, and how to replace it with a Truth Review so signals move early.

Practice this week: Run a 15-minute Truth Review at the end of your weekly meeting:

- What changed?

- What's stuck?

- What risk is being absorbed locally?

- What must move up now?

- What is the smallest 7-day action we will complete?

Follow Compass To Practice for weekly leadership practices. On Spotify, answer the poll and leave a comment with one question your team needs to ask sooner.

More: https://www.compasstopractice.com

References:

- Andon: a Lean signal system for surfacing problems early.

- Jidoka: stopping for abnormality instead of passing defects downstream.

- Columbia Accident Investigation Board: organizational communication and dissent.

- Psychological safety: truth-telling and reporting behavior.

- Amy Edmondson: reporting and learning culture insights.

Disclaimer: The views shared on Compass To Practice are my personal views and do not reflect those of my employer or any current or former company. I do not share confidential, proprietary, customer-specific, or employer-specific information on this podcast.

When the dashboard is green but your gut is red, that is signal. In this episode, Antonio Irizarry breaks down False Green: how good teams quietly edit reality under pressure, why truth arrives late, and how to restore honest performance.

Practice this week: Ask, "What are we calling green that feels red on the floor?" Then make one 7-day action visible.

Follow Compass To Practice for weekly leadership practices, and leave a comment on Spotify with the metric your team should look at more honestly.

More: https://www.compasstopractice.com

References:

- Goodhart's Law: when a measure becomes a target, it stops being a good measure.

- Campbell's Law: high-stakes metrics tend to be gamed and distort behavior.

- W. Edwards Deming: system causes drive results; avoid managing by numbers alone.

- Amy Edmondson: psychological safety helps truth arrive sooner.

Disclaimer: The views shared on Compass To Practice are my personal views and do not reflect those of my employer or any current or former company. I do not share confidential, proprietary, customer-specific, or employer-specific information on this podcast.

Start here. Compass To Practice helps leaders turn intention into behavior. In this short welcome episode, Antonio Irizarry explains who the show is for and how each episode works: one real-world pattern, one principle, and one practice you can use the same week.

The show is guided by the Leadership Compass: Humility, Clarity, Courage, and Empathy.

Follow Compass To Practice for weekly practical leadership tools, and leave a comment on Spotify with the leadership habit you want to practice next.

More: https://www.compasstopractice.com

Disclaimer: The views shared on Compass To Practice are my personal views and do not reflect those of my employer or any current or former company. I do not share confidential, proprietary, customer-specific, or employer-specific information on this podcast.