tell me what I need to know … and more

As people in leading position we are called to communicate, and often this provides us with opportunities or with lost occasions to reinstate transparency towards the people we ought to lead.

Back in the days 🙂 I do remember having had a lot to lose due to the fact that I wasn’t sharing anything on what I, the team or our company were doing! I kept it all to myself by inertia believing that my team shouldn’t be “briefed” and all things, except for very carefully chosen subjects such as salary increase, bonuses and maybe a team building event.

In the corner of everyone’s mind there was this question that kept coming back again and again, and again!

“What is he actually doing as a team leader?! (if anything…)”

Inertia of doing things like a professional (nothing wrong though) instead of a leader (assuming the leading part), is ruling out any responsibility to make people aware of the realities that impact them directly or indirectly. Professionals are responsible to for the work; leaders are responsible for professionals and their work. The later requires a communication bridge to transmit and receive information on performance, personal development paths, integration within the team or group of co-workers, pressure around the workplace and one could only continue the list.

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We’re called to help people get rid of some of the uncertainties they have to face day by day! Yes, transparency has this unique effect of reducing ambiguity at the workplace and not only. All of the sudden, when things are cleared up by short meetings or informal gatherings around the office space, everyone feels “He finally made it clear for us!” Of course, the purpose is not to communicate something that feels like a headache pill which is supposed to just take pain away. May it be of a positive or constructive nature, information has the purpose to remove doubts and leave space for openness and collaboration.

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Collaboration is the one other product of transparency. While everyone admits that no leader is perfect, keeping information away undermines the potential of you team’s ability to brainstorm along with you for solution to common challenges and to bring about synergy. It is the one great opportunity for the leader and the team to learn from each other and use their individual unique blend of talents as a whole “mother-ship” of  unplugged solutions!

Communicate on great or trivial, formal or informal, confidential or public as required to stir a workplace of creativity and innovation, free of doubts, intrigues and others alike!