Transparency & Triumph

You strive to do the right thing and inspire those you work with everyday – caring woman that you are! You’ve lead enough teams to know the importance of transparency. Sharing information with those you work with is the right thing to do and there’s proof it’s good for business. Forty-four percent of Americans say they trust transparent businesses, according to a recent survey by Edelman Trust Barometer.

“Most companies can use every possible edge these days,” says Quint Studer, author of Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability. Studer says businesses with open, free-flowing information do much better in difficult economies. Transparency helps employees stay connected to the financial big picture. It can reduce complacency, spark creative solutions, result in stability and promote faster execution.

So – how can you create more transparency where you work?

“Prepare managers to answer tough questions about such things as salary cuts so all leaders can answer consistently,” adds Studer. BusinessWeek suggests responding with confidence, organizing your questions into categories and maintaining eye contact.

When delivering bad news, treat your employees like adults, be open, deliver the news in person and don’t procrastinate, recommend Fast Company and New York Times. But be sure to share good news just as quickly. When you do that, “you boost employee morale and reinforce any progress that’s being made.”

Still not sure how transparent your company is? Take this quiz to find out.

“If I felt it was the right thing to do, I was for it regardless
of the possible outcome.” Golda Meir