Why Sharing Information Will Help Your Leadership


Posted April 11, 2016

Surveys have shown that people want to be part of a workplace that is honest, open and transparent.

While this may sound like yet another demand from workers, the truth is that sharing information with employees actually offers more benefits than keeping a tight grip on every tidbit of information.

Driven by technology and social media, the drive toward transparency can be seen at all levels of society. Voters want this year's candidates for President to release tax returns and speech transcripts. Parents want to see the rankings of schools in their area. Even the credibility of auto repair shops is on full display thanks to sites like Yelp.

Rather than fighting this drive toward transparency, company leaders should be embracing it and reaping numerous benefits in the process.

Quicker solutions

A major benefit of sharing information with employees is the ability to crowd-source solutions to problems when they crop up.

Every employee brings their own skills and experience to solve a particular problem, and if your employees are kept apprised of the goings on, you will have immediate access to a range of perspectives, and possibly solutions, for a problem.

Generating solutions quickly means higher productivity and greater loss mitigation.

Tackle special projects faster

Whether it's for research and development, improved productivity or other purposes, businesses must occasionally put together teams of employees, and cobbling together teams is an easier task if all employees have been privy to the same information.

When everyone starts out on the same page, a team can quickly start assigning individual members to tasks that best fit their skill set. Team leaders should be respectful but transparent about taking advantages of various team members' strengths and avoiding their weaknesses.

Stronger interpersonal relationships

When access to information is split between haves and have-nots, interpersonal relationships also form along these lines. Furthermore, artificial barriers often go up between those in-the-know and those with less information.

Transparency, on the other hand, allows for an immediate bond between people in a company who may have never even met before. Two strangers who are suddenly forced to collaborate can quickly form tight professional bond that offers long-term benefits.

More trust in leadership

Most employees have a natural tendency to trust their leaders. However, they are more likely to promote trust of a leader among their peers if that leader is transparent. Transparency also limits the possibility that employees will form bad preconceived notions about their leaders. There isn’t much grist for the rumor mill if everything is out in the open.

Better company culture

Creating a transparent environment also help in creating a workplace that people want to come to each and every day.  Employees, and millennials in particular, regularly cite the value of a good company culture. Having that value means less employee turnover and a workforce that is willing to work for less money than what a competitor with a bad company culture might be offering.

At Ambassador, we pride ourselves on the transparent relationships we have with our clients. If your organization is looking for that kind of relationship with a talent acquisition firm, feel free to contact one of the leading employment firms in the South today!