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As I’ve written before I see transparency as having three elements: Clarity, Candor and Communication. At Catch Your Limit we focus a lot of energy on trying to be transparent. We believe that transparency leads to trust and that trust is crucial to building strong teams. As such, I’m sure you can see why we invest the energy we do.
In an effort to show respect for our colleagues we go out of our way to make sure everyone knows the facts. How we’re doing. If problems arise, we don’t mince words. We make an effort to share the brutal facts in as unemotional a manner as possible. We practice Open Book Management as described in the book of the same name by John Case. In my experience this is as rare as hen’s teeth. And yet, I don’t believe in and of itself that sharing the brutal facts is enough.
I believe that leaders must also be open when it comes to their aspirations. I wrote in an article on Clarity that I thought leaders are not aiming high enough. In the same vein, I believe that Candor is about more than just the down and dirty facts.
In some ways I think it takes more courage to put your neck out and publicly state you’re trying to accomplish a lofty goal than it does to admit bad news.
FDR was a master at this. During the roughest periods of the last century, the
Great Depression and WWII, he managed to candidly convey our challenges while simultaneously encouraging us to live up to our potential. Whether he was reminding us that “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself” or in his response to the attack on Pearl Harbor when he said,”No matter how long it may take us to overcome this premeditated invasion, the American people in their righteous might will win through to absolute victory” President Roosevelt let us know he had faith in our capacity to achieve whatever we set our minds on. We are a nation of people who exemplify the motto of the U.S. Navy SeaBees. When presented with the facts and given a clear goal, we say, “Can Do.” And we do.
