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Beyond the Echo Chamber: Building Your Board of Truth Tellers
The LAB Performance
November 09, 2024 • Reading Time: 5 minutes
The best aren’t getting better on their own, they’re getting better because they are being coached.
Emma Hayes, US National Women’s Team Head Coach
In high-performance environments, whether in sports or business, even the most accomplished leaders know the value of seeking objective advice. Emma Hayes, the highly decorated head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team, embodies this approach. Despite her impressive achievements, Hayes leans on a trusted network of advisors—her “truth tellers”—to gain clarity, maintain perspective, and make tough decisions. Her story highlights a powerful lesson for top leaders: building a circle of experienced, unbiased voices keeps your thinking sharp, helps you manage complexity, and strengthens your resilience in the face of challenges.
Create Your Board Of Directors.
“Truth tellers are the people I rely on for a dose of reality,” says Emma Hayes, head coach of the U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team. Recently awarded the inaugural Women’s Johan Cruyff Trophy for the world’s top women’s coach, Hayes has a track record of success—from leading Chelsea to five consecutive Women’s Super League titles to taking a rebuilding U.S. squad to Olympic gold in her first tournament. Yet, for all her accomplishments, Hayes actively seeks the counsel of trusted advisors to help her navigate tough decisions, sharpen her insights, and sustain her confidence.
This ‘Truth Teller’ practice is common among elite leaders in sport and business. At the top, those who excel are often those who understand the value of surrounding themselves with diverse perspectives, knowing they don’t—and shouldn’t—have all the answers. In her chapter titled “Truth Tellers,” Hayes reveals that she leans on what she calls her “board of directors”—a circle of expert advisors—when faced with challenges that require specialised insights. This approach serves as a powerful model for high-performance leaders: surrounding yourself with varied viewpoints keeps your thinking fresh and provides a built-in support system for critical moments.
“For issues you can’t solve with your immediate team, it’s essential to have someone outside the organisation to guide you through,” Hayes explains. Take, for example, a delicate team dynamic that crosses personal and professional boundaries—such as when personal relationships arise within the team. Having a neutral, outside voice to offer perspective can be invaluable. Hayes’ trusted circle includes breathing coach Michael McDermott, top coaches from other sports like Trent Robinson of the Sydney Roosters, and behavioural consultants who provide her with seasoned, unbiased guidance.
Her long-term relationship with coach and advisor Marcia McDermott is especially telling. “I value people who understand me—flaws and all,” Hayes says. “Marcia has been both my mentor and critic for decades. She knows my weaknesses but places them in the broader context of my growth as a coach.” Hayes trusts McDermott’s guidance not because it flatters her but because it challenges her to stay accountable to her own standards of excellence.
"I needed him. On the pitch every day, stood behind me—listening, learning, looking, writing, remembering."
For high-performance leaders in any field, these examples illustrate how powerful it can be to cultivate a network of “truth tellers”—mentors and advisors who bring both experience and perspective. Not many of us can take feedback or constructive criticism because we take it too personally or hate to be seen as being “wrong”. But the best embrace this and see it as the only way to truly move forward in a positive direction.
In my own work as an advisor to coaches and executives, I’ve seen how valuable it is for leaders to have a sounding board for their toughest dilemmas. Often, they come to us with a situation that hasn’t gone as planned, expecting a complex fix. Instead, we might say, “Yes, that happens.” An advisor who has been in the same trenches understands that sometimes the best solution is simply to keep perspective and resist overreacting.
Mastery in high performance often comes down to knowing what truly matters and what doesn’t—an instinct that defines an effective advisor and makes all the difference for leaders at the top.
Coaches Notes:
Seek Objective Advice: Top leaders recognise the value of objective, outside perspectives to help them make clear, unbiased decisions and maintain their confidence.
Build a “Board of Directors”: Surrounding yourself with trusted advisors with varied expertise provides insight into specialised challenges and helps keep your thinking fresh.
Embrace Vulnerability: Even the most successful leaders acknowledge they don’t have all the answers, remaining open to learning and growth from those who understand their strengths and weaknesses.
Focus on What Matters: Experienced advisors help leaders distinguish between issues that need action and those that don’t, helping them maintain perspective and avoid unnecessary reactions.
Leverage Neutral Support for Sensitive Situations: Neutral voices outside the immediate team can provide valuable counsel on complex, delicate matters, guiding leaders through decisions that require a balanced, impartial approach.