I like drinking water. By the time it gets to my glass, the water is clean. From the source, water goes through a filtering process to remove all the impurities that would be harmful to me. The filtration keeps me healthy.
Organizations often face the opposite effect of filtering. By the time information goes from the source to the top leaders, it has been filtered to remove the “impurities” – you know, the (potentially unpleasant) reality. They are left with a “clean” version of the truth and that can make the organization unhealthy.
Great leaders drink straight from the source.