Transparency

Bear in mind that for those receiving your communication, there is often no difference between withholding information and lying.  It has been said that you should always withhold some information from those above you and from those below you.  This comes under the rubric of information as power.  I would say this is more like information as a powder keg that can blow up on you at any moment.  Upon discovering that they have been working without all of the necessary information, your team will instantly lose trust.  They will become unsure of their real goal, and, more importantly, of YOUR real goal.  Not good.  As for your superiors, upon finding out that you have withheld information from them, they also will instantly lose trust.  And you might lose your job.  Also not good.

The point here is that transparency is a really important aspect of leadership.  You may think that you have good reason to hold back information in order to manage a given situation or project.  You may think that having full disclosure occur only when you think it is appropriate is in the best interests of all involved.  You may think that once everyone understands your reasoning for withholding key information, they will be on board with you.  You are wrong.

If your team trusts you, and you them, full disclosure is not only imperative, it is the best way to accomplish your objectives. The team should assume that you are all on the same wavelength and are working from the same playbook.  Once they find that this is not the case, they may not only quickly lose motivation, but also, more seriously, lose trust in what you are up to. At this point, it can become every man for himself, as team members believe that they are pawns and not really valued assets.

The case is similar for your superiors.   If they understand the full context surrounding what you are doing, they are much more likely to support you.  Or not.  But if they don’t, that is OK.  Why?  First, because if they don’t support you, you have bigger problems than the issue at hand.  And second, nonsupport may indicate a lack of alignment that you need to be aware of.  In short, transparency gives you the opportunity to do a gut check, and to rethink your tactics and strategies as necessary.


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