Transparency’s Rad
The Indianapolis Museum of Art recently posted a couple of articles about transparency, written by Chief Information Officer Rob Stein. Stein defines transparency as “the ongoing discipline of practicing radical authenticity and demonstrating to the public whatever degree of integrity and operational excellence our museum possesses at the time.”
Then he goes on to talk about what shouldn’t be disclosed, and the process–when, how and what to disclose.
It is interesting to look at these articles in the context of leadership transition. New leaders are often scrutinized on a much more macro level than their predecessors, and it can be hard to say no to requests for transparency, particularly when it is something you personally believe in.
Discussion with my “emerging leader” colleagues has revealed that we are not frightened of sharing the gritty details (as Stein puts it), but that often new leaders inherit organizations with infrastructure that was designed for the Age of Altruism and not the Age of Transparency. Becoming more transparent means changing infrastructure, and changes in infrastructure usually bring about demands for transparency.
Emerging leaders, I know you are out there … any thoughts or comments?