Apart from sounding like something taken directly out of a management training manual, what does having an open, honest, and safe environment actually mean? In relation to CD and DevOps adoption, this means that anyone and everyone involved in your product-delivery process is willing, encouraged, and able to openly comment on and discuss ideas, issues, concerns, and problems, without the fear of ridicule or retribution—especially from those in leadership positions.
As you found during the elephant exposure stage, allowing for open discussions and honest appraisals of how things are done within the organization and the product-delivery process brings to the surface details and facts that otherwise would have been missed or stayed hidden. You need to persist the environment where the distinct lack of secrets culture and behavior is prevalent...