Transparency – Don’t make it personal and you will thrive!

Quite some time ago, I had an assignment working for an executive that spoke a lot about transparency among teams and employees. I decided to write this Blog to summarize my observations, learnings, and takeaways on transparency.

Observations– Employees were utterly in tune whenever the Executive spoke, whether in meetings, events, etc. He was very articulate, always had the group’s buy-in, and commanded any room, allowing him the opportunity to speak. It was great to listen to and learn from him. Everyone in the room listened with admiration (dare I say adoration?) to this Executive.

He was always on the list to be invited to all engagements and events. Boy, he had nailed the motivation and transparency talk down to a T. He was willing to confront subjects that no other executives within the organization were ready to tackle. He would take on topics such as honesty, the glass ceiling, diversity, teamwork, cultures, and challenging the status quo. Everyone that knew him was inspired by him and wanted to take a page from his book.

Like most organizations, changes in leadership roles (a.k.a. re-orgs) will happen as time passes. The organizational changes impacted his career goals for this Executive as he was not moved forward on the previous two occasions.

With the changes delaying his progression, his message of “transparency” talks had begun to follow his mood and changed over time. Transparency in his books now changed from being open and upfront to delivering only specific information and doing so when and if it suited his agenda and goals.

Example #1:  Promoted to all teams that everyone can grow in the company. He spoke of his plans to expand as well. Once his career path slowed significantly, his tone changed to advising the teams to ‘suck it up, grow in your current roles and be proud of where you are.

Example #2: Spoke to all team members about being able to be promoted and that he is always available for open and honest dialogue. In reality, roles were filled from outside the department, with no notification to the current team so they could apply.

When you’re transparent, you reveal that you have nothing to hide. This, in turn, invites trust from your peers. In the eyes of others, your ‘brand’ is that of an honest, credible person. It is not without its challenges, though, as the prospect of being open and vulnerable may sometimes make you nervous. For some, the digital world has made observing transparency an inescapable option.

Learnings – What I’ve learned about “transparency” is that it’s about always being honest irrespective of the planned outcome. It is not when it suits the situation. If you use it when it suits your agenda, people will take notice over time; pulling and/or hiding transparency cards does not help one’s brand overall. It may also affect your corporate brand if left unchecked. Specifically, if that’s what you have been selling people ….it will uncover itself when confronted by reality.

Transparency is about understanding what’s at stake and being able to speak the truth, no matter what the outcome is. Unless you are ready to be brave, step out courageously, and be seen in the arena with your employees, team members, friends, and people in general, you can’t use it on a part-time basis or your terms. It’s either that you are fully transparent or you are not! Don’t advertise it if you can’t always sell it consistently. Your brand integrity will suffer, you will lose your followers and believers, and you will become nothing other than someone who lives a life of double standards in values and morals that only suit themselves rather than for the greater good.

Takeaways – My takeaway from an observational standpoint and having the fortune of sitting on both sides of the leadership table are shared below.

What transparency is to me:

• Being Honest and more honesty without limitations. The facts will help, not hinder, the course for open dialogue.
• Tangible actions that have been followed by inspired words, commitments, and promises
• Speaking the truth, free of judgment, criticisms, deceits, or manipulations.
• The intent is pure
• Willingness to be in discomfort for the sake of growth personally and professionally
• It’s courage, so there is no room for fear
• To believe or stand for something when no one else does
• Is change for the greater good
• To lead by example, always
• To understand what’s at stake and choose to do the right thing
• To make room for what’s acceptable and fair
• To educate, teach and inspire in all facets of life
• It’s humility at its best!
• Consistent words followed by one’s actions, values, and moral beliefs
• To make room for vulnerability when no one wants to.
• It’s confidence for breaking free
• It’s a long-life process to live by

What transparency is not to me:

• Enlarged and inflated egos
• Put downs or tear downs of people
• Convenient for when/how/who/and what
• It’s not part-time use
• It’s not just using inspiring words optimized to attract followers
• It does not allow room for lies, manipulations, or deceit
• It is not a betrayal
• Something that makes you flip-flop sides to save yourself
• Selfish and self-centered
• It’s not situational; either you are fully in or fully out
• A false brand – it is your ‘Brand,’ so if using it, use it wisely and carefully
• It is not to be used cloaked as Diplomacy. It will always create an unstable foundation this way
• It’s not made-up stories to sell as realities and truth

If you use transparency as your brand, you must be careful how your interpretation of transparency compares to what it means to the majority. In the workplace, we tend to face some realities and situations that will alter our views as we climb the corporate ladder to attain the highest level of professional success. Some, though, cannot see the chaos and debris left behind in their quest for higher accomplishments and excellence.

Therefore, either you are fully transparent, or you are not. But you can’t be both! So, choose one and stick with it. At least that way, you don’t have to worry about your brand image or continuing to conduct damage control overall.