Lesson Learned :: 2021•11•16 :: Extreme transparency

Lessons Learned :: an exec team ritual from the past week.

I had an amazing engineer turn in their notice (I’ll call her A). 😔 I also had an amazing engineer from my past reach out saying they were interested in coming and working with me again (I’ll call him C) 😁

The common thread. Transparency

A is leaving, not because of bad policy or being mistreated, or even because of compensation… no, she is leaving because I didn’t make facts clear/known enough. What does growth plan here look like? What are the future plans for the team? What are the opportunities that will likely come with those changes? How do we feel about her and what could be next for her specifically?

Here is the real problem… we have answers to all of these questions… we simply were waiting to share them because we were afraid that folks would not want to hear plans that weren’t fully baked. We were worried that folks would anchor on an early version of the org chart or the growth framework and lose confidence in us as we evolve it and answer the unanswered questions.

C reached out to me because his current organization is being very secretive and it is coming across a bit sketchy. That is causing a constant feeling of anxiety. He has a choice on whether he should live with the anxiety or move on to a place that values transparency and openness.

So what is the lesson?

Share. Trust. Even if it feels scary… your people are professionals and if you have a culture of kindness, clarity, and psychological safety, they will understand, especially if you give context.

Would C and A be happier if their team has said… “here is what is being considered… this is far from final, and we are definitely open to feedback… we are sharing this because we trust you and know you will give grace as these plans shift and change over time… we will let you know once they are ready, but for now, we want to share where our heads are at”?

Yes… yes they would.

Transparency is a cheat code for a great culture that is easy to ignore out of fear. Fear the consequences of opaqueness, not of transparency.