Empty relationships often lack honest human connections. The roots of authentic human connections lie in transparent and trustworthy communication. The core benefit of transparency is that it allows all threads in the relationship to mature, since openness cuts the cord of misunderstandings that can fuel unnecessary tension. It is particularly important in today’s workplace dynamics. Good or bad, it facilitates faster decisions and ensures alignment between employees and business objectives.
Back in 2012, Forbes devised a list of five powerful things that happen when a leader is transparent:
Faster Problem Solving
Easier Team Building
Relationships Mature Authentically
Trust in Leadership
High Performance Levels
Transparency thus, is unarguably one of the most powerful unifiers for any organization and the people who work there. It can help people attain trust, and place values on people, therefore humanizing the work experience. The question is how does one create openness in a workplace?
One great way is by creating an environment where everybody can give honest and direct feedback with the faith that it will be heard and shared with the right people. The most innate of all human desires is to be valued for our ideas and efforts. In an open workplace, where people believe that their voice is being heard, they are more eager to share ideas. By creating a network where silos are removed and people can speak freely, there is a tremendous change in values, and especially how employees engage.
Most leaders today are afraid to share meaningful insights with employees for the fear of being considered as someone less authoritative. Employees today seek to be a part of a workplace where leaders put a premium on sharing where the company is headed to.
Meg Whitman, CEO of Hewlett-Packard, deems transparency to be something of utmost importance. In a 2013 post on The Power of Transparent Communication on Linkedin, she wrote that today, for any organization to be successful, it is a must that all stakeholders, right from employees to customers to investors are empowered with a clear sight into the company’s strategy and performance, regardless of how good or bad it is.
As a matter of fact, transparency is one of the four characteristics millennials want in a leader. In a study by MTV called No Collar Workers, focusing on Gen Y’s viewpoint on the workplace and careers, it was revealed that millennials want to work for a leader who is real and not afraid to share information. Instead of assuming the role of an unaware cog sitting in the dusty corners of the organization, millennials want to be in loop of the company’s vision and how it is going to lead.
Understanding what people want and how to meet their needs is significant if businesses want to remain competitive in today’s dynamic scenario. By building a transparent culture where people are kept in the loop, encouraged to share their progress and included in every little thing, it leads to optimum levels of performance.