This week the President of the United States, President Barack Obama, will give the State of the Union address. His goal is to outline his plans, expectations, and personal agenda for 2013. In an attempt to be transparent, he is expected to let the country know what he plans to do to address each of the major domestic issues facing the country. Some of those issues include immigration, gun control, and education. In addition, he is expected to address some of the international issues the U.S. faces like the war in Afghanistan and global climate change.
Many people throughout the country are anxiously waiting to see what he has to say because it will likely coincide with the federal budget for this year. After his speech, however, there will be a lag time before people will really know the specifics of the federal budget because President Obama has not finished his 2013 budget. He is not expected to send it to Congress until mid-March. (In years past, the President gave his State of the Union address at the same time as the budget was released.)
Without getting political, the President uses the State of the Union address as a method to tell people what he is going to do before he does it. His goal is to be transparent with the American people when he gives this address, so they trust him and his direction for the country.
Is Transparency Good?
So, as a leader, should you be transparent? Is transparency really important in leadership? To address transparency, I am going to identify some of the pros and cons that come with transparency.
Pros
When leaders are transparent, they explain their plan and their expectations. If they are transparent, they also tell people when the outlook is good and when it is bad. Transparent leaders appear more honest and forthcoming when their actions correspond to what their words. People also tend to feel more loyalty to their leaders when they are transparent.
Cons
When leaders make decisions, there is almost always someone that is really happy about the decision, and there is almost always someone that is really mad. It is impossible to please everyone at the same time. When a leader is transparent, they may be questioned more frequently or earlier by those they lead. Transparency can cause more people to share their opinions more frequently before a decision is made. That can, in some cases, lead to too many cooks in the kitchen.
What other pros and cons do you see when you are transparent as a leader? Do you think leaders should be transparent with those they lead? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below!
As a leader, whether people agree or disagree with my decisions, I have always found it to be advantageous to explain my position and to at least make an attempt to garner support (to be transparent).This allows people to offer their input (which can sometimes cause me to change course) but maybe more importantly, it helps me to turn people who might have otherwise not been supportive to see things my way. Let’s face it, a good percentage of leadership is sales.We can think that we are the “boss” and we make decisions and our direct reports just need to deal with them, but in my experience, that’s not the way to attract and retain top talent and get them to trust and enjoy working with you. Top talent wants to feel like they matter and you can’t do that if you don’t involve them in important decisions.
Welcome Matt!
You make some great points about being transparent and gaining support. If you simply request that people follow you without telling them why or how they will benefit, you will probably find a lot of resistance. If you take the approach of transparency, however, you be able to get buy-in or at least understanding much easier. This will lead to a happier team in most cases which will help you to keep your top talent.
I feel strongly that leaders should be transparent. Having said that, there are times when employees want to know all the answers during an ambiguous time of change. They are curious about what will happen next and how it will affect them. In my executive coaching with leaders, I find that not having all the answers is when a leader tends to shut down from being so transparent. Rather, it is helpful to simply tell employees when they don’t know what will happen next. Being comfortable saying “I don’t know and when I find out I will share what I can with you” goes a long way in their trust in you. Honesty always wins.
Welcome Valerie!
Thank you for sharing your insight. You make a very good point that sometimes transparency means just saying, “I don’t know, but when I find out I will let you know.” It is very interesting to see how some leaders don’t want to say that they don’t know so they instead are evasive and/or give a vague answer. In line with what you said, one of my favorite sayings is, “Honesty is the best policy.”