Ground Truthing

Happy Thursday,

The General, his right-hand man, the most senior Non-Commissioned Officer (let's call him Mr B), and I arrived at Woodbourne Air Base for our routine base visit. The General and I peeled off toward the base HQ, diving into the familiar choreography of briefings and meetings with the base leadership team. Mr B? He vanished the moment our boots hit the tarmac. We didn't see him again until the following evening, just as we were about to board the plane.

The three of us settled into the small nine-person cabin of the twin-prop King Air that was taking us back to HQ. Mr B took the seat beside the General. I sat across from them, and for the next hour, I watched as Mr B talked and the General, a man who commanded thousands, just listened intently, occasionally pausing to ask questions. In that moment, I understood where Mr B had disappeared to. He was ‘ground truthing’. A practice that’s often lost at senior leadership tables these days. Let’s dig in.

🧠 LEARN something.

The term ground truthing comes from military intelligence, where it means verifying what’s really happening on the battlefield versus what satellite maps and reports suggest. The same idea applies to business decision-making today, especially if you’re a few layers removed from the front line. You rely on data, dashboards, and reports that are often filtered and polished, each carrying someone’s interpretation or bias. What you get is often a distorted view of reality, which becomes your truth. Over time, decisions and strategies formed in boardrooms become disconnected from what’s actually happening on the ground. It happens to the best leaders, often without them realising it, until it blind sides them.

In leadership, ground truthing is more than gathering information; it’s about feeling what’s really happening. It interrupts bias and lets you sense what your people are experiencing. There’s a difference between seeing “low engagement” on a report and sitting with a frustrated team who tells you and shows you why they are frustrated. To some extent, this is an invite to block out your calendar and deliberately spend time on the ground, listening, observing, and asking questions, and doing this routinely so you stay connected to the front line. But I also know in reality this is a luxury of time that most senior leaders don’t have. That’s why I started with the story about Mr B. If you are too busy, then you need trusted leaders like Mr B who can do this. While Senior Officers briefed the General, Mr B went to the barracks, workshops, and mess halls and surfaced the real picture. This grounding helped better decisions and drove accountability. Organisations that make ground truthing a habit move faster, manage change better, and bridge the dangerous gap between what leaders think is happening and what actually is.

🤔 REFLECT on an idea.

How many times have we seen beautiful strategies, plans, initiatives, and decisions that made complete sense in the boardroom, but were so disconnected from reality that they seldom survive past the launch? Strategies may be conceived in the boardroom, but they come to life on the front line.

😊 SMILE a little.

Funny how leaders say, ‘My door’s always open.’ But usually that door’s on the top floor, miles from the action, two swipe cards away, guarded by an EA who is capable of stopping a tank!

✅ DO IT to get results.

Take time to seek the ground truth, and make a routine out of it. Doing it once won’t help. People are often sceptical about Senior Leaders visiting or talking to them, trying to figure out a “hidden agenda”. On the flip side, they may take that one opportunity to drive their own agendas or grievances. But if they see you on the ground routinely, you’ll get past that and into better conversations. If you’re too busy, then find yourself a trusted leader like Mr B. Give them the opportunity to seek the ground truth, and then just listen.

🌱 How we can support you and your team.

We provide strategic leadership solutions tailored to align with your business strategy, size, and budget. We can support your with:

• 1:1 Leadership and Performance Coaching

• Team Coaching, for high performing teams

• 1:1 Health & Lifestyle Coaching for busy stressed leaders.

• Workshops, offsites and team development.

• Or our flagship individual Leadership Coaching Programs.

Kia pai tō wiki

Kenny Bhosale

CEO & Founder, The Bridge Leaders