On Intellectual Honesty...

Platitudes don’t equal practice.  Saying is not the same as doing – no matter how emphatically or loudly you say it. 

Communication and coordination is hard but necessary when working with others towards larger goals.  This is where formulating an agreed upon “definition of the situation” is integral. 

This entails having a (preferably) short document that is:

• Visible to others
• Specific in its objectives
• Backed by clear dates and milestones that are meaningful and understandable by others

And finally, track-able by metrics that are readily measurable.

No amount of documentation or data can overcome a lack of intellectual curiousness, an unwillingness to challenge one’s assumptions and/or re-assess the definition of the situation when the situation merits.

That said, avoidance or distrust of hard data is akin to flying a plane without navigation controls. It can be done but unquestionably place both the pilot and his/her passengers at great and unnecessary peril.