The Pros and Cons of Transparency in Healthcare Leadership

“Trust happens when leaders are transparent.”

—Jack Welch

“If a leader shares too much information with employees who do not have the ability to understand or control it, it can unnecessarily distract employees and increase their anxiety.”

—Catherine Iste

Transparency is a buzzword in healthcare leadership today, and it’s easy to see why. Clarke(1) suggests, “Today, people resonate with leaders who are transparent. A leader who is open and engages in honest communication is someone people can trust and get behind.” Specifically, Clarke says, transparency in leadership fosters trust, builds relationships, creates cohesion within and among teams, and enables leaders to solve problems more quickly and easily. And as you’ll see below, many others similarly extol the virtues of leadership transparency, including the late Jack Welch,(2) whose famous quote on this topic serves as the first epigraph for this article.

Does this mean that we are focusing in this article on the whys and the ways that you can become a more transparent leader? Yes. There are many reasons that healthcare leaders should consider being more transparent with their employees. However, as our article’s title and dual epigraphs suggest, this article is not one-sided. We also look at the unsavory consequences when leadership transparency goes too far, and yes, there comes a point when that can happen.(3) As Birkinshaw and Cable(4) warn, “There is a ‘dark side’ to transparency. Executives sharing information creates problems of information overload and can legitimize endless debate and second-guessing of senior executive decisions.”

What’s a healthcare leader to do? Be more transparent? Be less transparent? The answer to this question is not simple, because it all depends on the leader and the circumstances. This article looks at the pros and cons of leadership transparency to help you to figure out when it will pay for you to be more transparent in your leadership and when doing so may backfire. As you’ll see, transparency is not a cure-all, but a leadership strategy like many others that you need to balance with your goals and other needs. As Sugiarto(5) suggests, “Consider the pros and cons of bringing more transparency into your workplace before you take action.”

The Pros: Five Reasons to Lead with Transparency

Transparency in leadership means keeping your employees in the loop, sharing the good and the bad with them, and welcoming their honest feedback. Perucci(6) explains that when leaders are transparent, “There should be no unpleasant surprises, no concerns around uncertainty, and no wishy-washy behavior that may weaken your reputation as a leader.” Transparent healthcare leaders strive to practice what they preach. They set crystal-clear expectations and communicate effectively with every member of their team. That sounds great, right? That’s because it is. In many cases, transparency is an excellent leadership strategy.

People want to know what’s going on, and they will become suspicious when they feel that they don’t.

Furthermore, if you ask employees if they want their leaders to be transparent, almost all will say yes. Very few will tell you that they prefer opaque leaders who keep things from them. In fact, Caucci(7) says, “Most employees rank transparency at the top of their list when it comes to what they care about most.” This desire to be in the know at work is an extension of a much larger cultural shift toward more transparency. The desire and need to know what’s going on and what is true is at an all-time high in our society right now. According to Liopis,(8) “There is a reason people would rather ‘see’ a video blog than ‘read’ a blog. They want access to one’s facial expressions, eye contact and body language.” People both inside and outside the workplace want to evaluate whether someone is acting or being genuine, and they look for greater transparency in their politicians, celebrities, influencers, friends, family members, colleagues, managers, and leaders. Simply put, people want to know what’s going on, and they will become suspicious when they feel that they don’t. They will naturally seek to find out what is real and true and planned.

Following are five top reasons to become a more transparent healthcare leader, gathered from several sources. Keep in mind as you read that the article then looks at other sources that warn that leadership transparency can and sometimes does backfire. For now, let’s begin with the pros. Transparency in leadership can:

1. Give employees greater peace of mind: Liopis explains that employees have grown tired of surprises. They don’t want to be blindsided, especially if they have been before. They want to eliminate the unknowns that creep into their minds. They want to be a part of a workplace culture that puts a premium on delivering the truth to them. They also want their leaders to be proactive in sharing where the organization is headed. This desire for leadership transparency makes perfect sense, because self-preservation is highly motivating. Liopis explains, “They [employees] just want transparency so they can plan and protect themselves.”

2. Make leaders seem more human: Gone are the days when employees expected their leaders to remain mysterious and hidden behind intimidating office doors in a far-away C-suite. Today, employees want to know that their leaders have experienced the same problems that they have and that they have overcome personal hardships. Liopis says, “We are living during a time when people want and expect their leaders to be more human, less perfect and at times a bit more vulnerable—regardless of hierarchy or rank.” Transparent healthcare leaders who present themselves as human beings, or what Caucci(8) describes as “just like anyone else,” are more likely to receive greater support from their employees and their peers.

3. Foster trust: Numerous sources suggest that leaders who are transparent enjoy greater trust from their employees. For example, Ahmed(9) suggests, “The more transparent you are, the more likely you are to build trust within your team.” Liopis writes, “If you are transparent, especially during the worst of times, you actually strengthen your leadership as people begin to trust you as a person and thus will respect you more as a leader.” Dames(10) says, “When you have a transparent leader in a team or organization, there is automatically trust.” Perucci suggests that when leaders are transparent, “Employees will give you their loyalty and trust.” And Ellwood(11) says, “Increasing transparency is an accessible first step for leaders to take in order to build trust.” We could go on and on. Suffice it to say that is very easy to find sources that argue that leadership transparency fosters employee trust.

4. Increase employee happiness: The employee experience in your workplace hinges on many things, including leadership transparency. In fact, Dixit(12) says, “Management transparency is the most significant predictor of employee happiness.” Conversely, if employees feel uncertain or suspicious about what is being discussed and decided for their futures, they are likely to jump to the wrong conclusions or to feel anxious, not happy, Dixit says.

5. Improve employee performance: The argument here is that leadership transparency leads to increased trust and a better workplace experience, which, in turn, leads to higher levels of performance. Liopis warns, “Unfortunately, the lack of transparency that still exists among leaders in the workplace…leads to less optimal levels of performance.” Dixit makes a convincing argument, suggesting that the transparent sharing of information is crucial for creating certainty. Dixit explains that for most people, “The brain perceives ambiguity as inherently threatening.” When employees feel out of the loop, he says, they feel threatened because they trust their leaders less and, in turn, are less likely to be motivated to perform. There is some merit in this argument. Certainly, employees who feel plagued by uncertainty and ambiguity may spend a great deal of their time and energy speculating and worrying about what’s going on, rather than focusing on the task at hand. When they spend their time discussing their concerns with their coworkers, it is plausible that work output may well suffer for everyone.

The Cons: Five Reasons to Be Wary of Leadership Transparency

We live in a world that is clamoring for more and more transparency. There are some, however, who make a convincing case for why, perhaps, there are times when it’s best for leaders to share less. For example, Coleman(13) suggests that leaders need to be able to “exercise discretion and consider the implications of their communication” before disclosing information to their employees. Iste asks, “Does creating a transparent environment [for employees] require being a transparent leader? Not completely.” Birkinshaw and Cable suggest, “Smart leaders need to know when to share and when to keep things back.” Harrington(14) warns, “If you are trying to build trust through greater transparency with your employees and customers, you are going about it the wrong way.” And Bernstein(15) writes, “More-transparent environments are not always better.” As you will see, transparency is a double-edged sword. Healthcare leaders may want to be more transparent, but at the same time, they need to become smarter about when to share information with their employees and when not to. Following are five reasons that transparency can sometimes backfire. Transparency in leadership can:

1. Make hard decisions even harder: You may encounter instances when you must invest a lot of time, research, and energy before you can make a hard call. Being transparent in such moments can interfere with the work you need to do. Coleman suggests, “There’s a directness that’s required and a need for contemplative thought that full transparency can compromise. I find that when you have an infinite number of voices chiming in you get weak or watered-down solutions that can appease many but accomplish nothing.” Difficult decisions need to be made by informed leaders in the face of ambiguity and uncertainty. At times, therefore, discretion would be the better part of valor, Coleman says. In fact, Coleman reports that in his own leadership, he shares information with his employees only if it is appropriate for the audience and within their ability to understand and control it. Coleman explains, “I don’t believe that full disclosure is always necessary,” or even desirable. The key, Iste suggests, is to maintain a balance between “full disclosure” and the appropriate amount of detail that is necessary and best.

2. Erode trust: Transparency and trust may not always be as interdependent as the sources cited suggest. In fact, Botsman(16) argues, complete transparency eliminates the need for employees to trust their leaders at all. Do parents demonstrate trust when they insist on knowing and verifying every single thing that their teenagers do when they are out of the house? No. That is not trust. Likewise, Botsman argues, employees don’t need to trust you when you show them and tell them absolutely everything. They need to trust you when you don’t. You will know that you’ve taken transparency too far in your leadership when your employees don’t trust you to make good decisions unless you lay everything out on the table for them. As Botsman suggests, “Trust is a confident relationship with the unknown,” not the known.

3. Create anxiety for employees: Being transparent when things are uncertain or in a state of flux can throw gasoline onto a small fire. Coleman describes the problems he faced as a leader when he was overly transparent with his employees during an especially troubling time in his organization. He says, “For many, it [transparency] was a confusing distraction as they tried to process all the information and understand the personal implications. It was also debilitating in the sense that most weren’t in a position to control the outcome. And for some, it was overwhelming.” Uncertainty led to heightened anxiety, Coleman says, as many employees convinced themselves that the worst-case scenario was inevitable. He adds, “I even once lost a senior creative team who overreacted to a financial situation they perceived as much worse than it actually was.” Today, Coleman says, he is much more selective about sharing information with his employees. He says, “I’ve found this to be drastically more effective at keeping the organization motivated, challenged and constantly improving.”

4. Overwhelm employees: Too much or too frequent communication in the interest of transparency can quickly lead to information overload. Sugiarto explains, “Some people aren’t able to process so much information due to the lack of their information filtering ability. They will most likely be disturbed with too much information.” Joany and Martic(17) say, “Most employees have to deal with excessive amounts of information and data every day at work.” Therefore, you may want to hold back on sending out very frequent email updates to your employees or holding frequent staff meetings in the interest of being transparent. That strategy can easily overwhelm your employees with high volume and too frequent information, Joany and Martic say.

5. Leave your organization open to attack: Only trusted employees who have a need to know should consume proprietary and sensitive information about your healthcare organization. There is always the possibility that something you say or write to your employees can be misunderstood, taken out of context, mistaken for a promise, or shared. Sugiarto suggests that transparency creates “an opening for crucial information to be leaked to a competitor,” to news media, and to others outside of your organization. Therefore, if you would not want information about your healthcare organization to be broadcast on the evening news or otherwise to become a PR nightmare, hold it very close. As well, take measures to ensure that your employees clearly understand the information you do choose to share with them. Be sure that your employees know precisely what you are saying, and what you are not saying. For example, if you would like to make a change that will benefit your employees, be sure that they know that you are not promising them that you will. If something may happen, be sure that your employees know that you are not saying that it will. Be mindful that people sometimes hear what they want to hear, not what you say, especially when they are excited, afraid, or upset. When in doubt, repeat what you tell your employees. Then, ask your employees to repeat what you have told them to make sure that they have understood you correctly.

To Be or Not to Be Transparent? Take This Quiz

As you can see, a healthcare leader walks the fine line between being transparent and oversharing. Granted, there will always be things that leaders cannot share with their employees, even if they want to. There will be other things that they choose not to share because doing so would needlessly heighten their employees’ anxiety, make leadership decisions more difficult, or put the organization at risk. Leaders must earn employee trust by being transparent but not create the expectation that they will tell their employees everything. As May(18) says, “It’s all about defining boundaries with employees and managing their expectations.”

Every healthcare leader should strive to be honest, responsible, and compassionate.

Certainly, leaders who strive to be more transparent share many admirable characteristics. For example, Executive Velocity(19) says, transparent leaders are honest, ask for and accept constructive feedback, deliver bad news with compassion, admit mistakes, and have the ability to say that they are sorry. Executive Velocity writes, “When leaders own up to their individual mistakes and take ownership of problems within their own departments, their direct reports will sit up and take notice. They, in turn, will begin to trust a little more, and they may also begin to mimic their behaviors.” Clearly, no one is arguing that you should lie to your employees or that you should lack compassion for them or that you should not take responsibility for your mistakes. Quite the opposite. Every healthcare leader should strive to be honest, responsible, and compassionate.

Nonetheless, being 100% transparent with your employees may not always be possible or desirable. When it isn’t, it may help you to think of leadership transparency as a spectrum. On one end is the leader who shares nothing and on the other is the leader who shares everything. Most leaders fall somewhere in the middle, at least most of the time. As the demand for transparency continues to grow within the workforce, leaders may feel pressure from their employees to adapt their policies, systems, and communications to meet that demand. Do not knuckle under to this pressure. Ultimately, it is up to you to decide where you will fall on the transparency spectrum, not only in a hypothetical sense, but for each unique leadership challenge you face.

Ask yourself the following 10 questions when you are wondering whether it is prudent for you to share particular information with your employees or whether such transparency risks too many negative consequences:

1. Is this information proprietary or confidential? You may not be able to share certain information with your employees, or you may take a big risk if you do. Organizations mitigate that risk by requiring key employees to sign nondisclosure agreements (NDAs). Be sure that you or your healthcare organization have taken this step to safeguard proprietary or confidential information with any employee before you share it. Dolghih(20) says, “Ideally, you should not be sharing your proprietary information with anybody who has not executed an NDA.”

2. Do I have all the facts? This question has tripped up the best of leaders when they attempt to be as transparent as possible. So says Klass(21), who explains, “It’s not good enough to have a ‘general take’ on what a situation is before explaining if things are running smoothly or at a roadblock.” You need to have as many of the available facts as possible. For example, Klass suggests that you reflect on how much has been accomplished, analyze a missed target or deadline, delve into how the missteps happened and why, and gain clarity about what is happening and timeframes. Take the time you need to prepare fully before you share information with your employees, Klass says. Sketchy, partial, or premature information may alarm, confuse, misinform, or misguide them.

3. What are the risks of sharing this information? Will your transparency potentially hurt someone? Could it hurt your healthcare organization? Is it worth your taking that risk? If yes, what can you do to reduce that risk? For example, Klass suggests, “If you think someone may be harmed by what you are sharing, consider speaking with them ahead of time.” Consider also what would be the best way and time for you to deliver the information to your employees. Choose your words carefully. And, as much as possible, anticipate questions and pushback and plan how you will respond to them.

4. Who would this affect the most? Which colleagues, departments, and other stakeholders may be affected by the information? Is it necessary for you to share this information with everyone? Klass warns, “Just be inclusive enough. If in doubt, widen your net of who needs to hear the update.”

5. Do I need to make a fast decision? There will be times when you will welcome employee feedback and input and times when transparency will make it harder for you to make a timely decision. However, do not underestimate how much your employees will look to you for information when the decision is urgent or at crisis level. Brassey and Kruyt(22) suggest, “Leaders should act with deliberate calm and bounded optimism. Those who can visibly demonstrate these qualities help their organizations feel a sense of purpose, giving them hope that they can face the challenges ahead.” Your employees will look to you for reassurance in a crisis. Humans are biologically wired to have a stress response (i.e., fight, flight, or freeze) when confronted with volatile environments, unpredictable events, and stress. However, don’t give your employees information as a knee-jerk response to appease them or because you believe that you must always be transparent. Consider whether sharing more information with your employees at this time will help them or whether doing so could make things worse.

6. Will sharing this information heighten or assuage employee anxiety? There are things that your employees need and deserve to know, so those are no-brainers. However, you need to consider everything else in the context of whether it will benefit your employees to know more or whether it will make them worry needlessly about things they can’t control. Of course, your employees are not children, and you are not their parent. However, Birkinshaw and Cable say, “Many people do not want to know the full details of how their firm is doing, nor do they want to be held fully responsible for its outputs. Instead, they want to know enough to do their job well and they want to have the right to know more, but for the most part they are happy for someone else to process and manage that information on their behalf.” Therefore, avoid sharing information that causes anxiety without much benefit, or “pain without much gain,” Birkinshaw and Cable say.

7. Will sharing this information build or erode trust? Sharing necessary or beneficial information with your employees can help you to earn their trust. However, your employees do not need to know everything that you know or think. Botsman says, “One of the mistakes I hear is that the way to build more trust is through transparency. It is a common narrative. But if you need for things to be transparent, then you have practically given up on trust.” Ask yourself: Will this information help your employees to trust you more? Or do you feel pressure to share it with them because they feel entitled to know everything?

8. Will employees find out anyway? Should your employees hear the information from you? If so, then tell them. This will be a delightful task if the news is good, but a difficult and potentially damaging one if it is bad. Paterson(22) explains, “There is a mounting body of scientific evidence that shows we tend to take a dim view of people who bring us bad news—even when the person is an innocent messenger with no control over the situation.” Paterson suggests that you can soften the blow of sharing bad news by providing advance warning when possible and by being direct, conveying that you care, dealing with the emotions first, and having a next-step plan. Or, if possible, ask someone else be the bearer of the bad news. For example, Paterson says, ask a colleague to share the distressing information, then step in to handle your employees’ reaction and explore alternatives. “Shooting the messenger” is far more than a metaphor, Paterson says; it is a known psychological phenomenon.

9. Would I benefit from employee feedback and input at this time? The argument for transparency lies in the wisdom-of-crowds effect. Birkinshaw and Cable explain, “By broadening the number of people involved, we will make smarter decisions and we will increase buy-in.” However, there can also be problems with this approach. One that we’ve considered earlier is that it generally takes longer for leaders to make decisions when they get many people involved. Employees may also dislike it when they give you their opinions and you decide against them. An even larger concern is that your employees may weigh in “without relevant knowledge, or without any responsibility to see things through,” Birkinshaw and Cable say. Therefore, limit the occasions when you will seek employee input to those when it is not only going to be helpful to you but also within their ability and experience to make helpful suggestions.

10. Will sharing information stop or encourage the rumor mill? Giving your employees partial or vague information will cause them to fill in the gaps with their own ideas. Once that happens, your organization will be abuzz with rumors. Is the information you plan to share sufficient so your employees don’t have to invent the who, what, why, where, when, and how behind it? Super(23) suggests that when you don’t give your employees clarity, when you “cover up bad numbers, conceal that someone left the company, deliver confusing and inconsistent messages on organizational goals, compensate in secretive or biased ways, or fundamentally break peoples’ trust,” they will fill in the gaps with their own (often worse) assumptions and scenarios. You can go crazy putting to bed internal rumors about your company, Super says. Or you can be forthright with the information that will satisfy your employees. According to Super, “Being transparent not only equips your people with information that provides insight, but also saves you time from refereeing conversations throughout your company.”

References

1. Clarke S. Importance of transparent leadership. Leaderonomics Blog. May 23, 2020. www.leaderonomics.com/articles/leadership/importance-of-transparent-leadership . Accessed July 13, 2022.

2. Welch J, Welch, S. Winning. New York: HarperCollins; 2005.

3. Iste C. Do leaders need to be transparent? Multi Briefs blog, July 5, 2017. https://exclusive.multibriefs.com/content/do-leaders-need-to-be-transparent/business-management-services-risk-management . Accessed July 20, 2022.

4. Birkinshaw J, Cable D. The dark side of transparency. McKinsey Quarterly. February 1, 2017. www.mckinsey.com/business-functions/people-and-organizational-performance/our-insights/the-dark-side-of-transparency . Accessed July 13, 2022.

5. Sugiarto HA. Pros and cons of transparency in the workplace. Rock Paper Scissors Blog, November 2019. https://learn.rps.asia/pros-and-cons-of-transparency-in-the-workplace/ . Accessed July 13, 2022.

6. Perucci D. The importance of transparency in leadership – what you need to know. Bamboo HR blog. January 23, 2020. www.bamboohr.com/blog/importance-of-transparency-in-leadership . Accessed July 19, 2022.

7. Caucci S. Transparency in leadership: why it’s so important. 1Huddle blog. October 4, 2021. https://1huddle.co/blog/transparency-in-leadership/ . Accessed July 18, 2022.

8. Liopis G. 5 powerful things that happen when a leader is transparent. Forbes. September 10, 2012. www.forbes.com/sites/glenn​llopis/2012/09/10/5-powerful-things-happen-when-a-leader-is-transparent/ . Accessed July 18, 2022.

9. Ahmed T. Why new CEOs should practice transparent leadership. Vantage Circle blog. March 1, 2022. https://blog.vantagecircle.com/transparent-leadership/ . Accessed July 18, 2022.

10. Dames K. 6 ways to become a more transparent leader. People Development Magazine. October 27, 2021. https://peopledevelopment​magazine.com/2021/10/27/transparent-leader/ . Accessed July 18, 2022.

11. Ellwood C. Building trust through transparency. The Myers-Briggs Company blog. March 25, 2020. www.themyersbriggs.com/en-US/Connect-with-us/Blog/2020/March/Trust-and-Transparency . Accessed July 19, 2022.

12. Dixit J. Why transparency is the secret to improving employee experience. Neuroleadership blog. October 26, 2018. https://neuro​leadership.com/your-brain-at-work/transparency-secret-employee-experience . Accessed July 19, 2022.

13. Coleman J. Is there such a thing as too much transparency? Fast Company blog. June 19, 2012. www.fastcompany.com/1840647/there-such-thing-too-much-transparency . Accessed July 25, 2022.

14. Harrington S. You can’t build trust through transparency. The People Space blog. November 14, 2018. www.thepeoplespace.com/ideas/articles/you-cant-build-trust-through-transparency . Accessed July 25, 2022.

15. Bernstein E. The transparency trap. Harvard Business Review. October 2014. https://hbr.org/2014/10/the-transparency-trap . Accessed July 25, 2022.

16. Botsman R. Who Can You Trust? How Technology Brought Us Together and Why It May Drive Us Apart. New York: Hachette Book Group; 2018.

17. Jonay V, Martic K. How does information overload affect your business and how to stop it. Haiilo blog. https://haiilo.com/blog/how-does-information-overload-affect-your-business-how-to-stop-it/ . Accessed July 25, 2022.

18. May E. Are you a transparent leader? Niagara Institute blog. March 16, 2022. https://www.niagarainstitute.com/blog/transparent-leader . Accessed July 25, 2022.

19. Executive Velocity. Does your leadership fear transparency? Executive Velocity blog. https://executive-velocity.com/does-your-leadership-fear-transparency/ . Accessed July 26, 2022.

20. Dolghih L. How to protect your business’s proprietary information. North Dallas Chamber of Commerce blog. June 9, 2014. https://ndcc.org/how-to-protect-your-businesss-proprietary-information/ . Accessed July 26, 2022.

21. Klass T. Can a leader be too transparent? Terri Klass Consulting blog. January 30, 2022. www.terriklassconsulting.com/2022/01/30/can-a-leader-be-too-transparent/ . Accessed July 26, 2022.

22. Paterson K. The risk of being the bearer of bad news. Leader’s Edge blog. October 30, 2020. www.leadersedge.com/brokerage-ops/the-risk-of-being-the-bearer-of-bad-news . Accessed July 26, 2022.

23. Super K. Lead with transparency: 4 tips to inspire trust in the workplace. Charthop blog. May 5, 2022. www.charthop.com/resources/blog/employee-experience/tips-to-lead-with-transparency/ . Accessed July 26, 2022.

24. Advanced Resources. Transparency in leadership. Advanced Resources blog. July 7, 2020. https://blog.advancedresources.com/the-importance-of-transparency-in-leadership . Accessed July 27, 2022.

25. Nevogt D. How to be a transparent leader (and why). Hubstaff blog. October 29, 2020. https://blog.hubstaff.com/transparent-leader/ . Accessed July 27, 2022.

26. Youshael J. 3 ways to be a more transparent leader. Forbes. November 19, 2021. www.forbes.com/sites/jonyoushaei/2021/11/19/3-ways-to-be-a-more-transparent-leader/ . Accessed July 22, 2022.

Twelve Ways to Become a More Transparent Healthcare Leader

Leadership transparency can be a scary proposition because it puts the healthcare leader in a vulnerable position. Caucci(7) suggests, “Many of them [leaders] fear that in being transparent they will come off as less authoritative.” Although the steps to becoming more transparent are relatively straightforward, practicing them, Dames(10) says, requires “a lot of courage.” There are many reasons that leaders fear transparency. Dames suggests, “Maybe you’re afraid you’ll be seen as less authoritative, or maybe you’re scared of criticism. Maybe you are an introvert or simply don’t have enough time in the day.”

Organizational transparency begins at the top. Executive Velocity(19) says, “Unless top-level executives, leaders, and board members buy in to a culture of transparency, the company cannot hope to achieve it.” Therefore, do not let your fear of feeling vulnerable stop you from becoming more transparent with your employees. Strive to be more transparent as soon as you have determined that transparency is your best leadership approach. Here are 12 strategies:

1. Walk the walk. Saying that transparency is one of your core leadership values is a good start. However, Super(23) explains, “You can’t just make a company-wide announcement that you’re now transparent and call it a day.” Look for ways to demonstrate your leadership transparency regularly, in moments big and small. For example, Super says, routinely share key information, hiring plans, and progress toward your goals with your employees. Tackle difficult conversations. As well, don’t be afraid to be transparent about your emotions, Super says. Show up as human and vulnerable when it is appropriate and helpful for you to do so.

2. Model the transparent behaviors you want to see in others. Your employees will look to you as a role model for many things, including your transparency. Ellwood(11) describes a leader’s transparency as “contagious.” She explains, “Leaders demonstrating that expressing honest opinions and being open is acceptable gives permission for others within their teams to do the same.” Therefore, be sure that your employees both see and appreciate when you are being transparent with them. Make certain that they know when you are choosing to share information with them, not doing so because you must.

3. Be honest. When an employee asks you a question that you are not prepared to answer or can’t answer, admit that you don’t feel comfortable answering it. Dames says, “Don’t avoid the subject, and don’t ever lie about it or give half-truths intentionally.”

4. Own your mistakes and failures. Transparent leaders don’t become less trustworthy simply because they make a mistake or fail at something. In fact, they can become more trusted when they admit their shortcomings. As well, May(18) says, “Taking responsibility for your part in a mistake will encourage others to follow suit.”

5. Be open and accessible. Transparency means that you will open yourself to criticism, taking it on the chin when it serves the greater good. It takes courage to hear how you have fallen short or failed as a leader, but provide opportunities for that to happen. Dames suggests, “Provide for a company-wide channel where employees are invited to express their concerns or ask questions and be sure to read it and respond in a positive and open way.”

6. Share your reasoning. Ellwood suggests that you allow your employees to understand the thought process behind your decisions. Summarizing the factors at play will enable them to experience your transparency but also to get on board with your decision and embrace change. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you need to divulge every detail of your decision-making process. The key factors may be sufficient. May suggests, “Focus on answering the ‘Why is this happening? Why now?’ question that is typically on everyone’s mind.”

7. Ask questions and show interest. Transparent healthcare leaders engage with their employees regularly and ask relevant and empowering questions. According to Dames, “The manager of the past was he who knew the most answers. The leaders of the future are those who ask the most powerful questions.”

8. Solicit feedback. Encourage your employees to give you their honest feedback about your healthcare organization’s policies and recent changes or announcements. For example, administer an employee satisfaction survey. As well, Advanced Resources(24) suggests, “Adopt an open-door policy and ask team members in upper management to do the same.”

9. Accept criticism gracefully. It can be challenging enough for employees to provide you with their feedback, because they may be afraid of your power. Then, if you react defensively to their feedback, they may regret speaking up. Nevogt(25) says, “Transparency can’t exist without openness.” Defensiveness will make your employees hide things from you and may make them assume that you are hiding things from them, Nevogt says. Therefore, strive to accept feedback gracefully and thank your employees for sharing their honest opinions with you.

10. Confront difficult situations. Most people choose to avoid conflict. However, Dames says, “The transparent leader invites conflict functionally, listening intently to opposing perspectives.”

11. Be consistent and honor your commitments. Consistent behavior is a form of transparency, because it demonstrates for your employees that your word has value and that you do what you say you will do. Youshael(26) suggests, “Consistently transparent behavior in leadership demonstrates the value of each employee so that everyone feels like they have a voice.” Being consistent will also lead to greater employee satisfaction and engagement, Youshael says.

12. Involve others in decision-making. Many leaders make decisions alone. However, Dames says, “A transparent leader will always involve people in decision making.” Be careful to be consistent and fair in how you make decisions and to what degree you involve people in the decision-making process. Be sure that everyone who should has a seat at the table. As Bernstein warns, “The empowerment of a select few can leave the other people in the organization feeling voiceless, especially if they aren’t explicitly invited to improve systems, processes, roles, and tasks.”