Is transparency actually important when leading a team?

Let's answer that with another question: Would you follow a person who doesn't communicate, isn't honest, takes decisions without explanation, doesn't take feedback, and isn't accountable?

Most workers wouldn’t. In fact, 87% of workers want transparency in their company.

Achieving transparency is not always a clear-cut path. However, there are five elements that are always present in transparent leaders.

1. Open Communication

Communication is a pillar in any relationship, and when you’re trying to be transparent, your communication needs to be open.

This goes beyond sharing your thoughts. Communication should always go both ways, which means you also need to take into account your team’s comments.

Use regular check-ins to touch base with your team and ask for their input on decisions. Also, explain decision-making processes whenever you can. Letting the team know how choices are made helps them understand your leadership actions. At Opkalla, we have a weekly team meeting to connect and sync on the current happenings of the company.

2. Honesty and Integrity

Being honest, even in tough times, earns respect from the team and creates a strong bond.

Howard Schultz, former CEO of Starbucks, once said, “I think the currency of leadership is transparency. You've got to be truthful. I don't think you should be vulnerable every day, but there are moments where you've got to share your soul and conscience with people and show them who you are, and not be afraid of it."

And that is really the key to transparency. When you describe someone as transparent, the first trait that typically comes to mind is honesty.

3. Inclusive Decision-Making

I touched on this briefly on the first point but when teams are part of the decision-making process, it shows you value them.

As a real-world example, at Opkalla, we hold creative brainstorming sessions where any idea, big or small, is welcome.

Involving the team will result in most people supporting the final choice and boosting commitment.

4. Clear Expectations

Wondering why some team members aren’t delivering as you imagined? Maybe it’s because you haven’t been clear about the expectations.

Wrong expectations are bad all around. They lead to confusion and misunderstanding that affect overall performance. You don’t get the output you need, priorities are incorrect, and workers feel frustrated. 

Starting from the recruitment process, leaders should set clear expectations for the new hires’ work. After that, communicating company goals and expectations through all channels is necessary to make sure everyone is always on the same page. 

Project management tools can also ensure task expectations are known since every task is visible from the get-go. Investing in software like ClickUp, Asana or Trello might be a good idea for this.

5. Accountability

Accountability means to openly own up to your responsibilities, whether you succeed or fail at them. And as leaders, we can’t expect workers to be accountable when we don’t do it ourselves.

Nothing is more transparent than being open about your losses as well as your wins. So, to be accountable, admit your mistakes and learn from them. Then, share what you learned. This shows you are human and builds trust in the long run.

Taking The Next Step Towards Transparency

To rally the troops, you need to be a transparent and trustworthy leader. Effective communication, honesty, integrity, inclusive decision-making, feedback, and accountability are all keys to demonstrating the transparency that builds trust.

So, give and get feedback openly, own your decisions and actions, and be there for your team. From there, you and your team are well on your way to success.