Council Post: Eight Ways To Be More Transparent With Staff In 2021

Like a well-oiled machine, businesses can only function if all elements of the company are in sync and working toward shared goals. Getting each department, team and employee on the same page, however, requires a certain level of transparency. Yet, so many entrepreneurs miss this vital detail when it comes to managing their business.

Implementing greater transparency doesn’t have to be difficult, but it might not always be clear where to start. To offer some advice, eight leaders from Young Entrepreneur Council discuss how they intend to increase transparency in their businesses this year, and include advice for how other entrepreneurs can do the same.

1. Be Transparent Yourself First

To be more transparent with your staff, you must first be transparent yourself. That means being open and honest about the company, its progress and its results. If you can’t be honest about how it’s performing or its weaknesses, then you can’t expect the same of your team. They won’t feel comfortable coming to you with their faults and mishaps if you can’t do the same yourself. More companies need to encourage transparency by adopting this practice themselves first. Setting an example is a surefire way to get others to follow in your footsteps and give you the results you want. – Stephanie Wells, Formidable Forms

2. Foster Two-Way Communication

Transparency is important and should be a company’s focus throughout the year. Without it, the concept of trust and integrity can be difficult among employees—the group of people most likely to help you find solutions and solve problems. At Bitbean, we will again foster open, two-way communication practices for 2021. We value our employees’ feedback and believe that for transparency to be truly effective, it needs to flow both ways. Employees must feel they can be open and honest without fear of retaliation. This is key in order to fully understand what motivates them to want to do more to help push the company forward. We will also continue to embrace flexibility to support transparency as our employees balance their work and home life. – Ephraim Arnstein, Bitbean

3. Hire A Coach To Facilitate Conversation

Deploy a team-based strategy on steroids. The one thing I’ve done differently going into 2021 is hire a coach to facilitate strategy meetings and discussion. The first meeting was a crash course in strategic planning, getting all members on the same page of framework and verbiage. The second meeting was about how we got here (as a business), with homework of ideation for the third meeting, where we narrowed down the top three goals for one, three and seven years forward. We’re now at the “get stuff done” phase (week 2), including weekly meetings to review what’s working, what needs to get done and what’s getting in the way. It’s a rapid feedback system with open doors for help along the way. This process has everyone totally involved and invested in the process. It’s definitely a great way to get people passionate about their role. – Kris Garlewicz, ProsperiFi

4. Hold Regular Daily And Weekly Meetings

Transparency is crucial in building trust and is a building block of great culture. It’s been really hard to maintain a culture of transparency while working remotely. Daily morning standups and end-of-day wrap-up virtual meetings have helped our teams stay in touch. We started a weekly “brown bag” lunch meeting where one of our team members presents on a topic that may or may not have to do with business. We all miss the office banter, and sometimes a 30-minute lunch call to discuss puppies and weekend plans is just what the team needs. – Kara Brown, LeadCoverage

5. Stay Communicative Through Video

Since the lockdown, my company has started a weekly tradition where everyone records a video of themselves. Usually on Monday morning, everyone discusses the tasks they’re working on and provides updates on what they worked on last week. This is also a chance for us to recommend interesting books, articles or videos we’ve found that could be interesting or relevant for the rest of the team. Although this started as a method of keeping us all in touch through the pandemic, this weekly routine has helped all of us appear more transparent and communicative when it comes to our goals. Even once the lockdown ends and things return to normal, I think we’re going to continue making these weekly briefings because of how helpful they’ve been for our productivity! – Bryce Welker, CPA Exam Guy

6. Put Out An Annual Comprehensive Press Release

At the beginning of the year, put out a company-wide press release that summarizes the strategic goals for the year as well as the hits or misses from the prior year. Be very honest about any bad news or materially impactful decisions that may be ahead. For instance, if the company plans to lay off a certain number of employees over the year, call this out as early as possible. At the same time, clearly explain the factors affecting the decisions and delineate the support offered by the organization to help employees achieve a meaningful transition through the process. Be optimistic about the future and offer a clear vision about where the company is headed while also being honest about the challenges lying ahead. – Sri Vanamali, GEX Management, Inc.

7. Organize AMA Meetings

Ask Me Anything (AMA) meetings are a great way to give individuals and teams a platform to voice opinions, concerns and questions. On a quarterly basis, I have a meeting with every single department to talk about anything team members want to bring to the table. I love a full-staff get-together to talk company news, but following up in a more intimate setting allows for a new level of transparency. – Shay Berman, Digital Resource

8. Share News, Whether Good Or Bad

To be more transparent in the coming year, I plan to consistently share news, both good and bad. Sharing good news lifts spirits, creates a sense of togetherness and offers opportunities to thank people. Good news is the social glue that keeps the company together. It’s important to note that sharing bad news is equally crucial. Especially during the pandemic, there will be bad news; it’s just unavoidable. However, hiding the bad news from employees creates a culture of secrecy and can encourage gossip. While it’s not always easy to share bad news, if your employees hear it from you first, they will trust you to be honest and transparent. This also keeps everyone on the same page, from the CEO down to the newest employee. – Shu Saito, All Filters

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