You may have seen this too, receiving utility bills that regularly change the period you’re being billed for (28 days and then 165 days on a recent bill) making any comparison of consumption on a like for like (year on year) basis obscure and difficult.
In a world which is complex enough, transparency is important whether it’s the transactional nature of bills or the significantly more important world of organisational leadership.
Whether we are in stable or more uncertain and turbulent times employees need more than bare information/facts.
Knowing where they stand, what comes next, why a decision has been taken, why it matters, are all part of the transparency that builds trust, fosters relationship and connection and ‘banks’ goodwill for when the going gets tough.
True transparency, of course, requires courage to step into our vulnerability, to be comfortable acknowledging when we don’t have the answers people seek. It also requires discernment – there are some things that we are party to as leaders that can’t be shared.
And it needs love, for our fellow human beings, wanting to support them and assure their peace of mind even when we are communicating tougher news. People would rather know the truth than be submerged in the rumour and speculation that fills a communication vacuum.
And when we think of courage, discernment and love we’re really reminding ourselves of the importance and power of leading through the heart.