Just because you know everything is going well doesn’t mean everyone else does.
That’s something I had to learn during my leadership career.
I can remember times when I was working on a project, everything was moving along as expected, and I felt pretty good about where things stood.
The work was getting done. We were making progress. There weren’t any major problems to report.
So I didn’t always feel the need to provide updates.
After all, if something went wrong, I’d certainly let the appropriate people know.
Sounds reasonable, doesn’t it?
Well, maybe not.
Looking back, I realize there were times when I wasn’t keeping people as informed as I should have been. And quite often, those people were my own bosses.
It wasn’t that I was trying to hide anything. There wasn’t necessarily a problem with the project or the work being done.
I simply wasn’t communicating enough.
What I eventually came to understand was that while I knew everything was going well, the people I reported to didn’t necessarily have that same confidence.
They weren’t involved in the day-to-day activities. They didn’t see the progress being made. And they had their own responsibilities, which sometimes included answering questions about the projects I was managing.
They needed information I wasn’t always providing.
That experience helped me understand something important about transparency.
Keeping people informed isn’t just about letting them know when something goes wrong. It’s about giving them confidence that things are moving in the right direction.
Don’t Assume Everyone Knows What You Know
I think this is an easy trap for leaders to fall into.
We’re involved in the daily activities of our departments or projects. We know what’s happening. We understand the challenges, the progress, and the decisions being made.
And sometimes we forget that other people don’t have that same information.
Think about a manager who’s been assigned an important project.
The manager has everything organized. The team is making progress. Deadlines are being met.
From the manager’s perspective, everything is going just fine.
But what about the person who assigned the project?
Perhaps that person has a meeting coming up with senior leadership. Maybe someone has asked about the project’s status. Or maybe they’re simply trying to determine whether additional resources will be needed.
If they haven’t received an update, what are they supposed to think?
They might assume things are going well.
Or they might wonder whether the project is behind schedule.
They may even begin questioning whether the manager has everything under control.
Not because anything is actually wrong, but because they don’t have enough information to know.
I’ve learned that it’s much better to provide an update before someone has to ask for one.
And the funny thing is, those updates don’t necessarily have to be complicated.
Sometimes a quick conversation or a short email is all that’s needed.
“Just wanted to let you know we’re on schedule. We’ve completed the first two phases, and we’re moving into the next one this week. No major issues at this point.”
That’s it.
A few sentences can eliminate a lot of unnecessary uncertainty.
Transparency Works in Every Direction
When we talk about transparency in leadership, we often focus on how managers communicate with their employees.
And that’s certainly important.
Employees need to understand what’s happening in the organization, why decisions are being made, and how those decisions may affect them.
But transparency doesn’t stop there.
We also have a responsibility to communicate with the people we report to.
And let’s not forget our peers.
How often does the work being done in one department affect another department?
Quite often.
A sales manager may need information from operations. An operations manager may need updates from human resources. A project leader may be coordinating work across several departments.
When information isn’t shared, people can find themselves making decisions without knowing everything they need to know.
I’ve come to believe that one of the questions leaders should regularly ask themselves is: “Who else needs to know what’s happening?”
Not who wants to know every little detail.
Not who needs to be copied on every email.
But who genuinely needs information to do their job effectively?
That’s an important distinction.
Good communication isn’t about overwhelming people with information. It’s about making sure the right people have the information they need, when they need it.
When We Don’t Communicate, People Start Guessing
I have said numerous times, “In the absence of good information, people make things up!”
There’s another problem that develops when leaders aren’t transparent enough.
People begin filling in the blanks themselves.
Let’s say an organization announces that changes are coming to the way a department operates.
Employees are told that new procedures will be introduced, but they’re not given much explanation.
What happens next?
People start talking.
“Why are they changing things?”
“Do you think they’re going to eliminate some positions?”
“I heard the department isn’t meeting its goals.”
Before long, there are rumors circulating that may have little connection to what’s actually happening.
The changes might be perfectly reasonable. Perhaps they’re designed to improve efficiency, prepare for growth, or make everyone’s job a little easier.
But without enough information, employees are left to draw their own conclusions.
And sometimes those conclusions create more concern than the actual situation deserves.
This isn’t all that different from my own experience with project communication.
When my bosses didn’t receive updates, they were left wondering how things were progressing.
The situations may be different, but the underlying issue is the same.
When people don’t have enough information, they’re left to make assumptions. And assumptions aren’t always accurate.
A little communication can prevent a lot of unnecessary confusion.
You Don’t Have to Share Everything
Now, let me make something clear.
I don’t believe transparency means telling everyone everything.
There are times when information needs to remain confidential.
Personnel matters, sensitive business decisions, financial negotiations, and other private information aren’t necessarily appropriate for everyone to know.
Leaders have a responsibility to exercise good judgment.
But I’ve also seen situations where confidentiality becomes an excuse for simply not communicating.
There’s a difference.
You may not be able to explain every detail about an upcoming organizational change, but you may be able to acknowledge that changes are being considered.
You may not have a final answer about a new project, but you can explain what you know and when additional information might be available.
And sometimes, the most appropriate response is simply:
“I don’t have an answer to that yet.”
There’s nothing wrong with admitting that.
In fact, I think leaders sometimes create more problems by pretending they know something than by admitting they don’t.
People may not always like hearing that a decision hasn’t been made or that certain information can’t be shared.
But most people can appreciate an honest answer.
Explain the Why, Not Just the What
Another thing I’ve learned is that people are generally more comfortable with decisions when they understand the reasoning behind them.
Think about a manager who announces a new procedure.
“Starting Monday, we’re going to handle this differently.”
That’s the instruction.
But what about the explanation?
Why is the procedure changing? What problem are we trying to solve? What improvement are we hoping to achieve?
Sometimes leaders have spent weeks discussing a decision before announcing it.
They’ve reviewed the information, considered alternatives, and decided on a direction.
By the time they communicate the change, it all makes perfect sense to them.
But the employees hearing about it for the first time haven’t been part of those conversations.
All they know is that something they’ve been doing for years is suddenly changing.
And they’re probably wondering why.
A little explanation can go a long way.
It doesn’t mean employees will agree with every decision. That’s not realistic.
But understanding the reason behind a decision can help people see the bigger picture.
I’ve always believed there’s a difference between getting people to comply with a decision and helping them become committed to making it work.
Communication plays a big role in that difference.
Don’t Make People Chase You for Information
This is one of the biggest practical lessons I’ve taken away from my own experience.
If someone has to repeatedly ask you for updates, there’s a good chance you’re not communicating often enough.
That doesn’t mean you need to provide a running commentary on everything you’re doing.
And it certainly doesn’t mean sending so many emails that people stop reading them.
But it does mean taking responsibility for keeping others appropriately informed.
When you’re managing a project, establish how often updates should be provided.
When you’re working with other departments, make sure everyone understands what information needs to be shared.
And when you’re reporting to your boss, don’t assume that no news is good news.
Sometimes no news is simply no news.
I also think there’s value in asking a simple question at the beginning of a project:
“How often would you like me to update you on our progress?”
That question can prevent a lot of frustration later.
Some leaders want weekly updates. Others are comfortable with updates at major milestones. And some may want to know only when something changes.
The important thing is to understand expectations rather than make assumptions.
I wish I’d been more consistent about that earlier in my career.
It would have made communication easier for everyone involved.
Transparency Doesn’t Mean Everything Is Perfect
There’s one more point I think is worth discussing.
It’s easy to share information when things are going well.
But what happens when they’re not?
What happens when a project falls behind schedule, a decision doesn’t produce the results we expected, or something simply goes wrong?
That’s when transparency can become uncomfortable.
Nobody enjoys delivering bad news.
And I understand the temptation to wait until you have a solution before telling anyone there’s a problem.
Sometimes a little time is necessary to gather the facts and understand what happened.
But there’s a difference between taking time to understand an issue and avoiding communication because the news isn’t good.
I believe leaders have an obligation to communicate significant problems to the people who need to know.
And the sooner we’re able to do that responsibly, the sooner we can begin working toward a solution.
Most leaders would rather hear about a problem while there’s still time to address it than discover it after the situation has become much worse.
The same is true for employees.
They don’t need their leaders to pretend everything is perfect.
They need leaders who are willing to be honest about challenges and explain what’s being done to address them.
One Final Thought
Looking back over my leadership career, I can think of plenty of things I’ve learned through experience.
Some lessons came from successes.
Others came from situations where I realized I could have handled something better.
Transparency is one of those lessons.
There were times when I believed I was doing everything I needed to do because the work itself was getting done.
But I wasn’t always giving the people around me the information they needed.
And I’ve come to realize that keeping people informed is part of the job, not something separate from it.
Whether we’re communicating with employees, colleagues, or the people we report to, we need to remember that they don’t always know what we know.
They can’t see everything we’re doing.
And they shouldn’t have to wonder whether things are progressing as expected.
So here’s something I’d encourage every leader to think about.
Are there people who depend on you for information who aren’t hearing from you often enough?
Maybe it’s your team.
Maybe it’s another department.
Or maybe, as was sometimes the case for me, it’s your own boss.
If so, perhaps it’s time to make a little more effort to keep them informed.
You don’t have to tell everyone everything.
You just need to make sure the right people know what they need to know.
