196. Transparency under pressure: leading with stability

What does it really mean to be transparent as a leader, especially when you can’t share everything or when you don’t agree with the direction of change?

In this episode, we go beneath the buzzword of transparency. 

If you’ve ever struggled with how open to be with your team during times of change, this episode will give you practical ways to lead with honesty, courage, and care.

Resources:

• Lisa Earle McLeod's post about authenticity

Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/teri-m-schmidt/

Get 1-on-1 leadership support from Teri here: https://www.strongleadersserve.com/coaching

Set up an intro call with Teri: https://calendly.com/terischmidt/discoverycall

Transcript

Teri Schmidt: 0:00

Welcome back to Strong Leaders Serve, and to our series Beneath the Buzzwords. Today we're gonna talk about a word that gets thrown around a lot in leadership circles, transparency. It's a close relative to authenticity that we'll be talking about in a few weeks. It's a term that sounds universally positive. After all, who wouldn't want leaders who are open, honest, and forthcoming? But like most buzzwords, once we look beneath the surface, things get a little bit more complex. So let's get into it. I am Terry Schmidt, executive and leadership coach at Strong Leaders Serve, where we partner with organizations to prepare leaders for the everyday stretch moments of leadership from as small as a new member joining your team. To as big as the geopolitical and technological changes that are happening all around us from the promotion that makes old habits obsolete to the reorg that shakes trust. And this is the Strong Leader Serve Podcast. So let's start with a common leadership stretch moment leading through organizational change. Recently I've had the opportunity to work with several leaders who are navigating a merger of two large companies, in their case, it's likely gonna be a multi-year slog of uncertainty until everything is settled. Not only are they navigating the loss of their own company's beloved culture. But they're dealing with redundancies and differences in flexible work arrangements. They're also accountable for continuing their team's performance, even when their team members are openly wondering if their efforts will even make a difference. And at times they have more information than they can share with their teams. Have you been in a similar situation? You're being asked to guide the team through uncertainty, but you don't have all the answers. Maybe you're under confidentiality agreements. Maybe things are shifting faster than you can keep up with. You can't be fully transparent in the way that sometimes people imagine you can. So what do you do? Well, Gallup's research tells us that one of the four most important needs employees have of their leaders during times of change is stability. People want to know, am I safe here? Do I know what to expect? Can I trust that someone has a hand on the wheel? In this context, transparency isn't about spilling every detail, you know? It's about sharing what you can in a way that fosters stability. That means being honest about what you know, clear about what you don't, and consistent in your presence. Sometimes the most transparent statement is, here's what I know, here's what I don't, and here's what you can expect from me in the days ahead. Transparency at its core is about trust, and trust doesn't always require full information. Instead, it requires clarity and consistency. So what can you do to create some sense, even a little bit of stability and consistency for your team? Are there simple routines or rituals you can co-create? So that at least people know they can rely on something to be stable. Maybe it's a quick activity that makes people laugh every Friday afternoon or a weekly meeting standing agenda item that allows people to connect or feel heard. It's never easy to navigate a team through organizational change, but if you can focus on sharing what info you can as soon as you can and providing some sense of stability. You'll continue to build trust with your team. And remember, you need to have stability and support in your life too. This is one thing that leaders often forget. Who can you rely on for that? Maybe it's other colleagues, a friend, a coach, or a family member. After all, without taking care of yourself, you will not be able to be the leader that your team needs in these difficult times. Now getting back to transparency, let's add another complicating factor to the mix. What if your organization is headed in a direction or making a change that you don't agree with? What if you're feeling alone or even betrayed by the decision being made above you? The temptation is to equate transparency with unloading everything that you're feeling on your team. But as Brene Brown says. Vulnerability is not the same as disclosure. It isn't about telling your team every single detail of your internal struggle. That's not what it means to be transparent or authentic. Instead, it's about choosing courage over comfort and connection over self-protection. That might sound like this. Change is hard for me too. I know some of you may be struggling with it. And I want you to know that you're not alone. I may not agree with every decision being made, but I do believe in us and I believe in our ability to find a way forward together. That's honest. It's real, but it's not reckless. You're not making your team responsible for holding your emotions. Transparency that is not used responsibly may make you feel more comfortable and may give you a sense of belonging, but it hurts your team members damages, morale, and adds more instability and uncertainty. What feels good in the moment will not be good for the team in the long run. This reminds me of a LinkedIn video that author Lisa Earl McLeod shared about transparency's close cousin authenticity. I'll link the post in the show notes, but basically she explains how leaders have environments where they can embody the following grades of authenticity. First of all, unfiltered. Now this you should say, for blowing off steam with a select group of friends and maybe your parents or your partner, if they're super supportive. Second, truly authentic. Now you wanna be yourself with respect and judgment. Of course, most of your time at work. Third intentional. She talks about when the stakes are high, like CEOs of big companies who have to be careful not to come out with bad expressions on their face because it might make their stock value drop. When you have those high stakes, think about what you say and how you say it. It's not inauthentic to put your best self forward. So beneath the buzzword of transparency, we find two deeper truths. First, transparency during change isn't about revealing everything. It's about providing stability, clarity, and consistency. And second, transparency when you disagree isn't about venting. It's about choosing courageous vulnerability that connects the team and helps move the team forward. So the next time you hear transparency being demanded, pause and ask, what is the deeper need here? Is it stability? Is it connection? Is it clarity of purpose? Because real transparency isn't about shining a spotlight on every corner of your mind. It's about shining a light on the path forward, even if that path is only one step at a time. I know leading teams through organizational change is extremely hard, especially when there's not certainty about the future. And you still have to motivate your team and stay motivated yourself, but hang in there and focus on being the compassionate driven leader that you are. Care about your people. Give them stability. And give them any information you can to help them feel just a bit of calm in the midst of this storm. If there's anything I can do to support you, please reach out at any time. Have a great week, and I will talk to you again next Wednesday.