> When you shoot messengers, expect to receive fewer messages

Most modern organizations don't have pure messengers. The king is his messenger. That can blur the line between accountability and transparency. For example, in this case, the messengers were the senior managers partly responsible for the mess.

Good managers clearly delineate that boundary. Bringing bad news isn't punished. But making bad calls alone may be. In practice, this takes discipline to do.

The "Good" descriptor is the problem though isn't it. If everyone was "Good" there's be no thermocline.