Transparent Leadership

On Building a Legacy of Transparent Leadership I once witnessed a person of power openly admit that they didn’t know what to do about a tough dilemma that the organization was currently facing. Their personal vulnerability was transparent and in a sense a very enriching personal experience for me. To listen to this man admit that he needed help was a very powerful lesson in leadership. We often create legends of the men and women who lead us; they’re either exemplars that we idolize or ones that we despise because of personal insecurities which render them poor examples of demon-seeded megalomania. Such dichotomous examples muddle the waters of aspiring leaders who may want to flee away from the arena of leadership and cast a mystical light on the cult of human power. The solution is simple; just admit it when you don’t know. When we leaders admit our faults or our lack of certainty or clarity during times of crisis, or even during the mundane for that fact, we communicate to our team that we need them. We need every member to draw from wells of creativity and help us get past the obstacles. When this happens this accomplishes some powerful things. 1. We admit we that “surprisingly” don’t know it all. Such admissions refresh the team; they draw people into solutions, creating personal value and growth in their lives and make them want to achieve the “victory for the cause”. It bonds them to us and creates a compelling organizational ethos. 2. We model humility in an age of pride, arrogance and shallowness. Wow! That preaches. 3. We communicate that it’s okay to be human, admitting one’s flaws in a culture where stylistic robot-like precision is grappled for and feigned intellect is capital for so-called power brokers. 4. That admitting that I don’t know is not a weakness, but a strength that most-often yields a deeper level of love and respect from one’s team. 5. That such honestly is the basic fabric that makes up the bedrock of organizations of integrity. Leaders who are transparent enough to admit their faults and powerlessness at times are really the strong. This is the stuff that creates real “leader-legends” and legacies of confidence for our subordinates that really endure.