I am generally a fan of discussing the elephant in the room. When challenging situations happen, I think it's best to sensitively and kindly dissect the issue openly in order to better the situation. I realize that this does not always happen for multiple reasons, but when these elephants are left in the room, they take up a lot of space, space that could be better used for positive and promising efforts and contribution. What also can make situations like this worse is to address the situation with rumors, conjecture, and hearsay--the kind of talk that seems to grow when elephants aren't addressed specifically and factually. Conjecture, rumors, and hearsay cloud the truth and make good effort less attainable.
As I think of this situation, I am thinking about elephants in the room in my own life--the kinds of issues that are ignored and left for conjecture instead of truth. For the most part, I value openness even when it is uncomfortable and the friends and family members I surround myself with are comfortable with this too so there's few to none elephants that I can think of at this moment.
When we address situations openly with honesty and sensitivity at the start, we don't make room for elephants, but instead keep the room clear for the good work, transparency, and contribution to come.
