Leadership has always been a great challenge for organizations and people who take leadership roles. However, recent years have brought scenarios never before experienced by current generations, which leaves us with the challenge of leading with transparency in times of uncertainty.
Now, why should we lead with transparency? The matter is the following. Organizations are increasingly implementing more transversal and horizontal work systems and organizational cultures, which makes it urgent for team members to have a clear vision of the situation, precise definitions of the purpose pursued and data at hand.
This was always reserved for teams of leaders or managers. Traditionally, the information shared was partial and more focused on the tasks that were required of the collaborators. But this changed.
The current generations want a job in which they can be a part and generate an impact, and this does not happen if there is no real internal transparency. Hence, leading with transparency in times of uncertainty is a requirement for new leaders and an opportunity for organizational development.
Why lead with transparency?
Transparency helps us make teams more focused. It reduces the difficulties of traditional hierarchies and promotes a culture of learning and innovation. And all these qualities are precisely what help us to be more adaptive and competitive in times of so much uncertainty and change.
The problem of transparency is often seen in large organizations, where the size of the teams makes direct communication difficult. However, we can also see this today in small teams and startups, since remote work has added another factor that complicates day-to-day communications.
What can we do to achieve leadership with transparency?
Some recommendations that we can implement to achieve leadership with transparency can be:
– Document the vision, strategy and objectives: this will help people to access this information at any time and help achieve organizational purposes.
– Share internally the actions that are being taken to achieve the objectives. Socializing the actions and their measurements will help everyone to be informed and will open the possibility of receiving new ideas that can help achievement.
– Hold regular meetings with the entire organization. Regular spaces in which all the people of the organization meet and can improve general communication, have access to the same information and manage to fine-tune the focus of their actions.
– Constantly explains how goals are being achieved. The team needs to know what is being done and how to align and take action.
– Create a culture that allows employees to feel safe. Psychological safety is essential so that they can give their best and have better results.
– Learn when to share. Being a transparent leader does not mean having to report everything at all times, but rather playing with the cards on the table. Find the best time to do it clearly and effectively.
Leading is not and will not be easy, so doing it honestly can be an opportunity for our teams to feel better and for us to obtain the greatest potential from other people and from ourselves.