Transparency May Be The Key To Higher Productivity

Today, the definition of management is far from what it used to be. The old tyrannical approach no longer works in most settings, especially to an educated workforce that has more employment options. The norm now includes transformative leadership and leadership by example — these are just some of the management styles most accepted in our society today.

The core discipline in these modern leadership styles is transparency— where both the leader and the team members have a good understanding of the situation. This happens when a leader is transparent to his/her people. Here are just some work situations where being transparent will do the company well:

1. Vision and mission. Companies all have their set vision and mission masterfully composed often by the business owners themselves, embodying their goals for the company and to their people. In short sentences, the vision and mission statement eloquently affirms where you want the organization to go, how your company sees its clients, and how it wants to be known in the market.

The vision and mission statements are not just fancy words describing your dreams. At best, they tell the readers the direction of the company in the coming years. This means that it is extremely important for your people to understand their meaning. They will be the ones working and serving as the legs of the company.

Take time in explaining every point the vision and mission have. If you deem necessary, tell them your reason for creating the business. Is it really just for profit? Was there a need for your product in the market which urged you to create your product/services? Be transparent in telling them your goals.

2. Feedbacks and mistakes. One of the biggest mistakes you could make as a leader is not being true to the mistakes that occur in the company. Hiding negative feedbacks in order to protect the morale of your employees won’t help them grow. Not telling your higher-ups of the faults by your suppliers would be damaging for your product quality. In fact, members of your team deserve to know the mistakes they have commit-ted. If you truly are concerned for your team, you must know how to tell them what they need to hear and then help them grow.

Mistakes are not something to just forget about. Everyone must take the chance to learn from them and implement new measures both to prevent the same mistakes from happening and to improve the current activities and production of the company.

If there are also positive feedbacks from the customers, let your staff know. Commend them for being able to please the customer to the point that the per-son willfully gave a positive statement about your staff ’s performance. This will encourage not only that particular staff in doing a better job, but also everyone on the team.

3. Adjustments and changes. There will always be new protocols in the company and the staggering number will surely be confusing for everyone, especially when the reasons for those changes are not clear.

What is currently happening and why did it spark the need for such change? People who have been accustomed to certain practices will become resistant to change unless they see the problem with the status quo, or the need for improvement. This is especially so if they think that the change would be disadvantageous to them or add to their tasks. For example, if you need to add to the already numerous procedures you may say this: “There was a case of theft in the office and this is why the management has decided to implement this new security measure.” Or “The quality of our materials might suffer if we do not take this route and this is why we will be doing this.” Short explanations will go a long way in convincing your employees to adapt to change. You may even get feedback that will help in your endeavor.

4. Problems. Is reaching the new quota for the next month essential to the company’s survival in your industry? Is it critical for you to beat the deadline? Is there a need to exercise quick calls in changing your prices? When faced with a major threat to your company/s existence, it is best to inform your team in order for them to determine the necessity of achieving the set goals.

Always remember that your people are not robots to simply carry out what are asked from them. They think. They rationalize. They question. Give them the information they need so that they can be empowered to make the right decisions. This will give them that added boost of motivation.
*Originally published by the Manila Bulletin, C-4, Sunday, September 4, 2016. Written by Ruben Anlacan, Jr. (President, BusinessCoach, Inc.) All rights reserved. May not be reproduced or copied without express written permission of the copyright holders.