PEr Chronicles: Make the unknown known
Trikini: a matching bikini and face mask set. Coronavirus couture: One designer in Italy hit the headlines this month when she created the trikini. The surgical face mask has become a symbol of our times, an essential item in everyday life. The designer face mask is the new must-have fashion item. With masks advised for the foreseeable future, people are finding ways to incorporate them into their outfits. High-profile figures have started to match their masks to their outfits. Images of a matching mask and suit outfit garnered more than 100,000 likes on Twitter.
With the mask on, when we can’t see the lower half of the face, it’s easy to be misunderstood. Behind a mask, the distinction is not so clear: Are you wincing at me? Do you just have a lot of crow’s-feet? Was what you said an insult or a joke?
The mask is worn not to protect and not to hide.
Being transparent and open is one of the most important leadership habits you will ever develop. Will it be uncomfortable? Probably. Will it create lots of reactions? Yes. But it is the right thing to do.
During this pandemic, the situation we face is changing so fast and is so uncertain, when information is unavailable or inconsistent, that communication, transparency and guidance is more important now than ever before. This month, we accelerated digital options and hosted a dilogy of large scale virtual engagement webinars for customers to share and exchange views on this new normal. These experiences are critical for customers in the short term, and the impact will build positive relationships that are bound to last long after the crisis has ended.
Those who are trusted are candid: they are not afraid to tell the truth in the clearest terms possible. Appearing to hide something breeds skepticism. Whether it is during hard economic conditions, or during a new project, being transparent puts customers and team members on the same page and builds trust.
Yes, being confidential about appropriate matters is important, but when you're willing to share relevant information, they will give you the benefit of doubt. Being transparent implies giving bad news when appropriate, even though you know it could hurt. Leaders who are frank and transparent become trusted and the team, in spite of uncertain times, remains unified.
Seth Godin puts it this way: "Earn trust, earn trust, earn trust. Then you can worry about the rest."