What is Transparency?

Why embrace honesty and transparency?

Honesty and transparency in Business and Life will get you better long-term results, and who doesn’t want that?

So how honest are you? What ripples will you be creating from embracing honesty and transparency?

‘Truth hurts’ as the saying goes and the reality is that it may do for a while but if we don’t have truth we live in a lie, with a lie and through a lie.

‘Truth Hurts’ is generally taken to mean that you are going to be honest with somebody and that by telling them the truth there is a general belief held that the truth will offend them, hurt their feelings and be something that you think they don’t want to hear. Let me tell you that living without truth ultimately hurt more.

Learning how to be truthful with compassionate integrity is an absolute joy. Just imagine living life with knowing that if someone has something to say to you they will will from the heart and with heart.

Let me ask you these questions:

How many lies do you tell? and
How many lies do you live with?

Both in and out of business?

On a scale of 1 to 10 how honest are you in:

Your Business
Your Relationships
Your Life

What would it mean for a business and you to be truthful?

Just imagine that every important relationship you are in is honest and open, you feel comfortable saying anything you like as you know it will not lead to tension and resentment because you know that whoever you were talking to would tell you.

They tell you the issue, and you clear it up there, and then, how beautiful would that be?

And, of course, the other side is that if you are talking to someone and you do not like how they are speaking or dealing with you. You know exactly how to communicate to get your point across in the best way possible.

How can a business be honest? It’s really simple businesses can be truthful when the people running the business are truthful and the systems promote transparency, and it is part of the Culture and Belief structure of the Leaders.

What stops you from being and living with the truth?

Truth is fact; Truth is reality, Truth is objectivity and by sharing your truth you will arrive at a combined truth.

It’s actually a simple process:

Relationships and businesses are founded, and a culture is created around Transparency.

What does Transparency mean?

It means that values, ethics and ways of being and working are created, and the founders and employees adopt those ethics, values and ways of being and working into their everyday life.

Those in the relationship Business or Life, the organisation and people create a principle of operating honestly – there isn’t any reason not to – is there?

Transparency will only occur when individuals live from the principle.

Transparency is around being open and honest, expressing opinions and views, not allowing tensions and resentments to build, it’s around challenging what needs to be challenged, acknowledging what needs to be acknowledged, providing feedback to others both constructively and positively.

Transparency is celebrating success, acknowledging mistakes without blame, it is raising issues with the intent of clearing them up, it is about dealing with what needs to be dealt with regardless of how your heart may be thumping and how you feel.

Transparency is saying what needs to be said in the right way with intent of maintaining and improving the relationship not harming it.

Imagine a window that is clean and sparkly, you spend time keeping it so, you wash it, you wipe the rain drops off, you maintain it in good repair. You have your bucket and squeegee to hand at all times. In fact, you even put a shutter over the window to keep the rain off.

The ultimate result is this window will last you forever.

Now imagine a window that hasn’t been loved, you forget to clean it, and you let the flies leave their deposits in the corners. The spiders arrive with their cobwebs, it rains, and the marks get bigger and cloudier, a truck passes and splashes mud across with a stone in it and the window chips & still you do nothing to maintain the window.

The ultimate result is no window; it will be damaged beyond repair.

Now imagine these windows as relationships both in life and in business. Which window would you prefer to work with, live with, look at and through?

Transparency is about being open and honest with your actions and intent. Transparency is being truthful. Businesses that adopt transparency as a way of operating develop a reputation of being honest and above board and create trust within their relationships.

Individuals who adopt transparency as a way of being develop a reputation of being honest and above board, creating trust within their relationships.

When transparent individuals and transparent businesses come together, magic happens.

Transparency is not about sharing everything with everybody at every opportunity, there are boundaries in place that are guided by the founding Principle.

So why do we not see more transparency?

Why are more companies not sharing their information?
Why do people lie?
Why do people gossip?
Why do people not live truthfully and tell someone they have upset them?
Why do people not complain when they get poor service?
Why do people not stand up for themselves?
Why do people say yes when they want to say no?
Why do people allow tensions to build?

The list is almost endless, unfortunately.

And two more questions:

Why do? and
How do? some people operate transparently and keep their windows clean?

It is because they have learnt how and they practice the skill – because that is what it is. A skill set and a mind flow and state from the principle that can be learnt and implemented – anyone can do it ‘IF THEY WANT TO’ – do you?

If you want more information, contact me – I live my life this way and can help you do the same.

If you are fed up with not saying what you want?

In meetings
At home
In shops
On an airline
At work
With your partner
With the boss
With …………………………..
In any situation

Creating a culture of Transparency, Openness, Honesty, structured feedback has to start with people and how they behave toward themselves and others.

Subscribe and listen to the Conscious Leadership Podcast – there are many episodes linked to this subject to choose from and on Amazon & Audible will help you to think about some of the skills you require and can utilise

#ConsciousLeadership #Business #Leadership #Communication #Relationship