Transparency Is a Catalyst for Trust
Transparency is an opportunity. When Maxine Thurston-Fisher was the Executive Director of Miami Bridge Emergency Shelter for Runaway and Homeless Youth, she shared the whole operating budget with the entire staff. She wanted everyone to understand what it took to run the organization and how we could contribute to reducing costs and living within our budget. It required a whole team effort, and she motivated everyone to be on that team when she transparently shared that information. It was a refreshing experience ten years into my career as a nonprofit leader. When I was studying how to use the Energy Leadership Index in my coaching toolkit, we practiced debriefing each other about our results. My results didn’t come back anything as I expected, and I was shocked to hear that I was carrying around a negative mindset that was holding me back. As I began to understand the material better, I had one of the transformational moments that shifted who I am as a leader and who I am in my life. The Energy Leadership Index offered transparency into behavior that could be different and serve me better. It was a refreshing experience at the beginning of my career as a leadership coach.
In her book, Conversational Intelligence, How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results, Judith E. Glaser introduces transparency as the first dimension for building trust. She explains that it is the language that calms the reptilian brain, signaling to us that it is safe to move forward in a conversation. “Trust,” she says is something that happens between people and inside of us. And when we create a bridge with others and within ourselves, we contribute to both people having a trusting experience. I see the transforming impact of Judith’s wisdom on leaders I work with every day.
Transparency is complex. Absolute transparency on a global level is not achievable, and there are reasons not to make that our goal. Here my focus is on transparency we can influence in leadership, and here we do have many opportunities. I watch leaders resist transparency, push away from it, and stay comfortable leading from a “threat” state with the negative influence of that threat being invisible to them, to the teams they serve on and guide. The complexity at the leadership level made me curious. What is transparency in leadership? What makes it important to embrace in your next level of ability even if it does not exist entirely around us?
“Transparency” has its roots in medieval Latin where the meaning is “shining through.” To get more perspective on the definition, I asked a few colleagues what it means to them. Marian understands it as talking about things that no one will talk about, offering honest evaluations (even if it hurts) with suggestions and support for change, and listening to what is true for yourself and others. Jaya Sangeetha understands it as looking at your values, finding the qualities in those values that you want to see in your clients and acting to attract those clients to your business. And Ute’s understanding is that its less about sharing data and facts and more about having your intentions shine through. Judith Glaser teaches that in an “I-Centric” space it means secrecy; closed doors; threats; lack of clarity; and lack of alignment. In a “We-Centric” space it means openness, sharing of threats, intentions, aspirations, and objectives, and movement toward establishing common, aligned objectives.[1] These perspectives say to me that transparency in leadership, at its fundamental core, is about sharing what is important to you in a way that another person can appreciate it, connect it to their thinking, and join with you in thinking about it together. And when you add the concept of intention to sharing, it means sharing with a purpose. When that purpose is a positive and productive outcome no matter the circumstance, then you are more likely to get that result.
“A lack of transparency results in distrust and a deep sense of insecurity.”
― Dalai Lama
Recently two leaders shared their struggles with discoveries that team members lack vital skills. They said these deficits adversely impact individual performance and organization performance. Both leaders revealed their intentions to support these team members in developing these skills. Both leaders also saw they could open up a productive dialogue with each person to explore solutions. Here’s what they did.
10 Steps to Transparent Conversations That Support Skill Building:
Prepare. Clarify your intentions with yourself about what you want the conversation to accomplish. For these leaders, it is developing a commitment to work together on building skill and support their team members in their success. It is different from telling someone you are failing or unexpectedly terminating their employment. It is what Judith refers to when she says to connect with the trust inside yourself.
Invite. Let the person know that you want to have a conversation to review how well we are doing and what opportunities we have to do better. Review means checking-in and “we” means we both have a stake in this. Confirm an agreeable time and schedule it. This is what Judith refers to when she says to build the bridge to the other person.
Open. Thank the person for their time, letting them know you value the opportunity to have this conversation. Give them the floor first. Ask, What do you think you’ve been doing well (name a specific timeframe)? I find that when I ask this question because the person already feels safe, they share what is going well and also where they are struggling. If they don’t reveal their struggles, then a next question can be, Where are you struggling? Or What causes you the most challenge?
Explore. Once the person shares their struggles, it is safe to share your perspective. Thank them for being open, acknowledge their insight, and share your specific thoughts with care. Explain what you are seeing what’s going well, and the struggles you see too.
Importance. Ask the person what makes it important for you to work together to address the situation. It expands the step of building the bridge beyond the person to a team or the mission or purpose of a business. It makes the solution matter in a more significant way. Share what is important to you about the situation as well, including how addressing it has far-reaching positive outcomes for them, for you, and for the work.
Ideas. Ask the person what ideas they have for working through the situation. Ask what they have already attempted and what they learned? Ask what’s getting stuck or what gaps they see? Ask what support they would like to have if they could? Share any ideas you have for their consideration.
Action. Say now that we know this situation matters to us both and the continued success of our work, ask what steps you are willing to take? Suggest activities you would like them to consider and share steps you will take. Ask are we in agreement?
Mentor. Confirm a time to check back with each other on how things are going.
Transparent. Share what you liked about this conversation and what you learned together. It is an invaluable step for checking with yourself on how well you met your intentions and how well you danced on that bridge with each other.
Appreciate. Acknowledge the time you invested and the next steps you are taking together.
William McCoy writes, A transparent workplace shares many traits with a functional marriage or strong friendship. In next level leadership that includes communicating regularly and openly, building rapport, and honing your skills for creating safe conversations. The transparency you create in your conversations has an impact beyond sharing facts and taking actions. It will build trusting relationships that support your success and joy in leading.
Managance Consulting & Coaching is on a mission to ignite joy and energize opportunity at work. Denice Hinden, Ph.D., PCC, President, and her team inspire leaders and teams to their next level of leadership and develop more trusting “we-centered” organizational cultures and engaging strategic thinking. Denice is Certified in Conversational Intelligence®. The opinions in our blog are our own. Judith E. Glaser’s work inspires us. http://www.conversationalintelligence.com/home Judith is the founder and CEO of Benchmark Communications, Inc., Chairman of The Creating We Institute and author of Conversational Intelligence: How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results. Special thanks also go to Marian Hertzog, Jaya Sangeetha, and Ute Franzen-Waschke for their contributions to this conversation.
Copyright © 2018 by Managance Consulting & Coaching
[1] Judith E. Glaser, Conversational Intelligence, How Great Leaders Build Trust and Get Extraordinary Results. P. 56.
Photo Credit: https://www.dreamstime.com/stock-photo image 42811315 by Michael Bednarek.