See when it comes to being a leader in the 21st century, being open and transparent is now the only acceptable and expected norm. It is the standard. However, unfortunately so many people continue to push that standard to the side. They throw it off and that is not a good thing. Folks that is not how it’s done, that is not how it is going to be, most importantly that is not how one remains a leader.
One remains a leader by not deviating from the standard you set for yourself and for others that you lead, manage or supervise. You expect others to adhere to those standards but once you start saying “oh well, that’s their standards and these are my standards” well it does not work that way. You have to remain open and transparent the entire time you are a leader. You cannot deviate from the ONE standard because when it comes to being transparent; “you deliberately go out of your way to try to be honest and open about who you are. There is no façade, no pretense – with you. People get what they see. You speak in your own voice. You are authentic. Others can see clearly who you are, what you are doing and why you are doing it.”
It is that simple. You just cannot deviate from that, if you’re expecting others to behave in a manner that you say but you are not doing, well all I can say is something is very wrong there. It is when you begin to hide things, like openness and transparency; the truth will eventually become clouded. Once clouded you will fall down that slippery slope where people will begin to doubt their trust in you and as a Leader, you do not want that.
Once that trust is in doubt, there is no going back. Sure, you might get 98 – 99% percent but you will never have a 100% of that trust back. Seriously, you will not see all that trust ever again. Think about it this way; for some reason or another, you doubt somebody’s trust. After the situation is settled, will you or can you ever truly trust that individual again? No.
It is sad but it is true. That is why the importance of being open and transparent is key to a successful career and even more importantly it is key to maintaining the honor of being called a leader for a very long time.
Thanks for your time,
Dave
P.S. What do you think of what I wrote above? Do you agree? Disagree? Let me by email ([email protected]) or on Twitter where my handle is @DaveGuerra
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