Leadership and Transparency

There is a song that says, “Everybody plays the fool sometimes.” While this may be true in love, no one wants to play the fool at work. No employee or follower wants to feel duped, manipulated, taken advantage of, or used. An effective leader wants to ensure that no one on their team feels this way and they can accomplish this through transparency.
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Transparency in leadership means creating an open and honest work environment where followers trust the leader and the leader can trust the followers, and the followers can trust one another. Here are ways to maintain transparency as a leader:

• Communicate openly, honestly, and proactively. Open and honest communication builds trust among the team and promotes transparency. Leaders who communicate well proactively share information with their team, field questions, acknowledge concerns, and admit when there is information that is unknown or known, but confidential. Communication is two way and team members should feel comfortable communicating with the leader without fear of consequences or retaliation.
• Play by the rules. Apply procedures, policies, and standards fairly. Bending the rules for some without a clear explanation why gives an impression of favoritism or a lack of ethics. If policies and procedures do not exist, create them.
• Share decision making responsibilities. Whenever possible, involve team members in the decision-making process. This gives them the opportunity to see what is involved in making the decision and creates buy in for the decision that is made. When it is not possible to share decision making responsibility, share the “why” with the team when announcing decisions. Decisions can be easier to accept and support when the factors influencing the decision are known.
• Build relationships. Authentically engage with team members. Get to know them, their strengths, their weaknesses, their goals, and their drivers. Relationships foster trust and honesty.
• Use objective data to communicate employee and organizational progress. Creating measurable goals and tracking data supports transparent communication regarding progress and performance. Make data simple and accessible so that employees can know how they, their team, and the organization are performing.

It is difficult to work for a leader who cannot be trusted. No one wants to be collateral damage in someone’s scheme to make it to the top. On the other hand, transparent leaders who build trust and relationships with their team find that they all can excel and elevate together.

To explore this topic further, check out these posts:
Is Honesty the Best Policy?
Foster Positive Culture through Firmness, Fairness, and Consistency