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honest and ethical. In all groups, leaders have a tendency to hoard and
105
control information because they use it as a source of power and control.
But the ability of top management to keep information secret is now
vanishing, due in large part to the Internet and access to electronic

communications. When leaders who are striving to be transparent decide
not to share certain information with their followers for whatever reason,
they should be honest and say something like: "I can't tell you that right
now, but here's what I can say." Followers shouldn’t have to wonder about
hidden agendas.

When leaders practice transparency, they are demonstrating that "what
you see is what you get." Transparency occurs when the organization as a
whole sees what the leadership sees, and the vision and goals of the
organization are clear to everyone in it. This clarity can be fostered
through the use of performance measures and dashboards. This concern

for clarity shows respect and concern both for the individuals within the
organization and for the organization itself.

If the leaders make it acceptable to be open, are willing to listen to
opposing points of view, and promise to consider the merits of others’
arguments, the way is paved for a culture of transparency. As a result,
amazing things occur. Organizations benefit from a more efficient and

more collaborative process of decision-making and executing key actions
because everyone is more informed. This speeds up operations, problems
are identified more readily along the way, and accountability is improved.
Subsequently, both the organization as a whole and the individual leader
are perceived as having a higher level of credibility.

The Boards and stakeholders also have an important role in creating a
culture of transparency. If they are not committed to the pursuit of
honesty, clarity, and accountability, the organizations they serve are not
likely to have a free flow of information either internally or externally.

105 Karen Walker and Barbara Pagano, “Transparency: The Clear Path to Leadership Credibility,”
http://www.linkageinc.com/thinking/linkageleader/Documents/Karen_Walker_%20Barbara_Pagano_TRA
NSPARENCY_Is_the_Clear_Path_to_Leadership_Credibility_0105.pdf.

David Kolzow 89