Nothing other than an employee’s HR file or the list of salaries is a secret. Everything else is an open file, so share it freely and transparently with everyone in your company!
This philosophy would confront many executives. Even now, you’re thinking, “yeah but,” and “but our competitors,” and “exposing our information?”
There are two kinds of companies. The first company holds information and shares it with employees on a need-to-know basis. The second company welcomes its employees into the conversation, exposing vulnerabilities and knowledge to take the company challenges to the next level with every employee’s help.
Disney Parks & Resorts was confronted with the transparency challenge when opening Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in 2019. There was a lot of secrecy around the project, but they wanted their cast members to be part of the lead-up and rollout. They needed teams to be fully immersed in everything about it. The risk was that information about the land could be exposed before the launch. Impressively, they were transparent with cast members about what would happen and had them on board because they were included in the secrecy. They complemented the transparency by providing cast members a social media kit and guidelines. They were provided what they could share publicly and when and the runway to be one of the first to communicate to the world. The teams took enormous pride in what they created for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and when you experience it, every cast member is playing their part on point and has each Guest fully immersed into the environment.
”Take the company challenges to the next level with every employee's help.
Leaders have many forums to be transparent. From quarterly town halls, department meetings, and even one-on-one check-ins, each touchpoint is an opportunity to get the employees part of the big picture. When the company’s financial condition or the pressure points the leadership team is grappling with are shared at the quarterly town hall, employees take interest. The openness has all of them sitting on the edge of their seat. The more vulnerable, the better! The message is that the company values the contributions of everyone, and everyone has a stake in the big picture.
Now included in the conversation, employees are thinking about the information shared and the challenges faced. They come back the next day ready to share, and the contributions pour in. Managers hold department or workgroup meetings following a town hall to receive these contributions. The company didn’t previously see some of these new opportunities, and these fresh perspectives are gifts to take the company to the next level.
Transparency = Engagement = Opportunity.
Transparency is key to a winning culture.
