How Transparent Should You Be As a Leader?

The concept of transparency at work is more popular now than ever. In my previous posts, I’ve talked about stuff like teamwork, goal setting, success, and more that are the basic building blocks of a successful organization. But it is said that leadership transparency is becoming a high call in every workplace. And I know many leaders who struggle with the same—bringing transparency in leadership.

The days of utopia is no longer in existence in the workplace. Employees are more longing to be a part of a workplace culture that is delivering the truth. As a leader, you should be trusted by your employees deeply because being transparent is a powerful thing! Trust yourself and be trusted by others.

We are all living in a time when people expect their leaders to be more human– regardless of hierarchy. The need for transparency is an all-time high. So, how do you go about creating it? I’ve got some best practices for you.

Be honest, always

There is no perfect leader, but surely there are honest leaders. Honesty is seen as transparency and openness. Honesty is keeping your word, living through on promises, and delivering on time.

How to do this:

Practice compassion, empathy to soften the hurtful truth, be willing to discuss issues and listen through. Do standups on your team. Be honest about failures. Share your plan to move forward.

Share your efforts and results

Make a point to share your efforts and company values with your entire team. This kind of mentality can help foster a sense of trust by running off any mistaken thoughts that someone is slacking off for no reason. Also, it’s ok to share your results and success as long as you do it in an authentic way.

How to do this:

Keep your employees in the loop always. Communicate often. Acknowledge the employees who helped you along the way. Do not sugar coat the negatives.

Walk the talk

Modern employees want to see you in action. So, it’s important that you lead by example. Employees will feel less engaged when they do not see their leader stand up and be less willing to do their best work.

How to do this:

You constantly need to work on your skills and evolve. Listen more than you talk. Give people autonomy and freedom.  

Keep communication straightforward

A leader has to interact with every team member and a large group of employees. How a leader communicates sets the tone for the rest of the organization. There should be a transparent communication system where you share the same update with everyone.

How to do this:

You can take off the available project management software and team collaboration apps to communicate effectively, be open to innovative ideas, and feedback.

Can transparency influence your bottom line? Yes, a lot! But it’s much more than this. It’s about building trust. It’s about helping your team members to make a real difference.

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Do you want a trusting company culture but struggle to build it? Share your challenges in the comments below.

Author Bio:

Vartika Kashyap is the Marketing Manager at ProofHub and has been one of the LinkedIn Top Voices in 2017 and 2018. Her articles are inspired by office situations and work-related events. She likes to write about productivity, team building, work culture, leadership, entrepreneurship among others and contributing to a better workplace is what makes her click.