In leadership, transparency is key. It’s easy to assume that if we just go about our business and don’t address the uncomfortable realities, they’ll resolve themselves. Unfortunately, that’s not the case. I see this first hand all the time with my clients.
If you’re a leader, it’s your responsibility to ensure that everyone in your organization feels seen, heard, and respected.
Transparency isn’t just about telling people what they want to hear; it’s about honesty, even when the truth is difficult. When leaders fail to acknowledge issues or avoid tough conversations, they create a culture of silence and distrust. People begin to make assumptions, and the environment becomes tense. Suddenly, employees feel like they’re walking on eggshells, uncertain of where they stand.
Take, for example, a situation where a leader communicates differently with different team members about the same issue, say, silent to one group, informative to another seemingly equal group. It may not be favoritism, but it does create inconsistency, and that inconsistency fosters distrust and stories. The person caught in the middle — often middle management — ends up feeling the most pressure to “fix” things, because they are all too often the organizational translators. In essence, they’re bi-lingual, speaking both Management and Doer. Meanwhile, those higher up may not even realize there’s a problem, simply assuming that everything is fine because their culture of silence and the lack of transparency has squashed the likelihood that others would speak truth to them.
Unintentional missteps happen, but it’s your job as a leader to notice them, acknowledge them, repair, and do better next time.
Avoiding discomfort doesn’t make the issue go away. In fact, it often makes it worse because that avoidance creates a void in which inaccurate stories and misinformation flourish. People may hesitate to speak up about workplace tensions because you taught them to be silent, and they fear making things worse or overstepping their role. Leaders need to take the initiative to create a culture where employees feel safe voicing their concerns.
It starts with small steps — acknowledging when things aren’t working, noticing when someone is uncomfortable, inviting honest dialogue, learning to listen without having to defend oneself, and setting an example of clear and fair communication. When employees see that leadership is willing to have the hard conversations, it empowers them to do the same. And in the end, that’s what builds trust, strengthens teams, and makes organizations thrive.
Photo by Pahala Basuki on Unsplash
