The need for transparency in society is at an all-time high. Trust and transparency are crucial elements to every leader. People have grown tired of dishonesty and want to exist in a work environment that allows one to have greater transparency of words and deeds.
This is accomplished by eliminating the unknowns that continue to crawl into our minds with each relationship we are part of.
Truth Will Set You Free
Today’s employees want to be a part of a workplace culture that delivers the truth every single time. They desire leaders that are proactive in sharing enough information and feedback with their teams.
In other words, they just want trust and transparency so they can be well-informed in their relationships.
People want to know that their leaders have experienced the same challenges and/or how they have overcome personal hardships. People feel closer to their leader when there is openness and clarity with expectations-trust in the day-to-day relationships whether it’s an employee or a customer.
Here are seven powerful things that happen when a leader can be transparent:
1) Being overwhelmingly honest
As a leader who wants to be more transparent, you have to deliver full disclosure of information to your team. It doesn’t help anyone if you are only sharing partial information needed to help our team be more successful.
You have to ask yourself these questions:
- “Am I setting my team up for success?”
- “Am I sharing important information to help them succeed?”
- “Do they have all the pieces to the puzzle to make it a success?”
By taking the time to share all the information needed to make your people successful, they will trust and see transparency throughout the organization. When you share all the information needed, you are preparing the soil for growth and an environment of trust.
2) Delivering bad news well
Delivering bad news must be handled with care but important to share with everyone to build more of the trust and transparency in your organization. Occasionally, there are moments of bad news in every company’s journey to success. Those moments are the most crucial moments to be forthright and honest with your team.
We all heard that phrase that honesty is the best policy. It does apply in delivering bad news as well.
People would not perceive you to be less of a leader if the bad news is a reflection of your leadership and organization direction. Be humble and you will begin to understand that all leaders sometimes have set backs and it’s important to be honest about them. People understand leaders are human and at times need to make adjustments to their leadership approach.
4) Properly handling mistakes
The way leaders handle mistakes can be more important than getting things right the first time. Sometimes leaders think that admitting mistakes would come across as incompetence on their part. Admitting mistakes sends message of courage, accountability and humility.
Mistakes are part of an opportunity to be visible and human as you demonstrate commitment to honesty to your organization.
4) Keeping Promises
When leaders do what they say they will do, they place high value on transparency and trust. They do their part in honoring commitments to their relationships. More importantly, their promises are not hollow and they deliver the goods promised to their team.
In the age of communication, it’s given that many people are going to talk and share a perspective.
The real question is whether that “talk” is the going to be demonstrated by the “walk.”
5) Keeping your composure
Communicating effectively requires composure and grace. Challenges, stress and obstacles are part of every organization. How leaders conduct themselves during the good times and the bad times can be a reflection of their character, competence and eventually their credibility.
Followers expect their leaders to be composed and professional as they are always watching. They are watching for trust even when emotions get high.
6) Letting your guard down
Leaders must remember that if you want to be authentic and sincere, you have to let your guard down to welcome more opportunities for growth. Creating meaningful connections by revealing personal information to your team will always adds value to the context of culture and leadership transparency.
Doing so, requires maturity, self-awareness, and a heighten sense of how people might perceive, dissect and disseminate the information you had to share. Leaders must find those moments of authentic connections to engage with their people as they allow others to know them.
7) Showing others you care
To lead effectively and have a positive influence, your followers must have solid answer to the following question: “Does he care about me?” Leaders must think and work toward ensuring the answer is yes they do care. This is done by the commitment to developing your followers on a daily basis-recognizing them, seeking to know their aspirations and dreams.
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Tal Shnall Coach/Trainer Development Renaissance Hotel Dallas Richardson
He specializes in Service and Leadership Development
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The point you make about how handling mistakes is a key to good leadership is outstanding. We spend a lot of time teaching our young leaders how to succeed, and we often forget to talk to them about how to fail gracefully. No great leader was ever formed without periods of adversity in their life. Failure and trouble are the crucible in which great leaders are created. Learning to fail gracefully, and to honestly share those failures with others, equips leaders with one of the most powerful and practical tools that they will ever have. Thanks for the great post.
Reblogged this on Mindful Expressions.
So this is a post that links to your blog. Isn’t that what the new rules would prohibit?
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Reblogged this on Dreamers.
As a leader who wants to be more transparent, you have to deliver full
disclosure of information to your team. Found this in yopreneur.com