PM ADVISORY:

A Transparency Crash Course:
Seven Steps to Creating a More Transparent Organization

By Quint Studer
CEO of The Studer Group
Author of Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability
USA

Leaders have talked about transparency for a long time, but it’s never been more important than it is now. Remember, we share information with employees for a couple of reasons: one, it’s the right thing to do, and two, it’s good for business. And most companies can use every possible edge these days.

If your company doesn’t have a culture of openness and free-flowing information, now is the time to move in that direction. Here are seven steps for creating a more transparent organization.

• First, make sure senior leadership is aligned. Does everyone see the external environment the same way? Does everyone understand organizational goals and plans? Does everyone agree on what success looks like? If not, it’s time to remedy the situation.

Alignment is most important at the senior level because all information cascades downward from it. If one senior leader is out of sync with the others, then everyone under her is going to be out of sync. In a big organization, that could be hundreds of people.

• Close the perception gap between senior leadership and middle managers. Senior leaders generally have a pretty clear grasp of the real issues facing the organization. They are steeped in these issues every day. Mid-level managers—who, after all, are busy managing—don’t always see things the same way. The only solution is for senior leaders to relentlessly communicate the issues to them…

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About the Author Quint Studer Author Quint Studer not only teaches it, he has done it. After leading organizations to breakthrough results, Quint formed Studer Group®, an outcomes firm that implements evidence-based leadership systems that help clients attain and sustain outstanding results. He was named one of the “Top 100 Most Powerful People in Healthcare” by Modern Healthcare magazine for his work on institutional healthcare improvement. Studer was named “Master of Business” by Inc. magazine. He is the author of BusinessWeek bestseller Hardwiring Excellence: Purpose, Worthwhile Work, Making a Difference; 101 Answers to Questions Leaders Ask; Wall Street Journal bestseller Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take Your Company to the Top; and Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability. For more information, visit www.studergroup.com. Straight A Leadership: Alignment, Action, Accountability (Fire Starter Publishing, 2009, ISBN: 978-0-9840794-1-4, $28.00) is available at bookstores nationwide, major online booksellers, and directly from the publisher by calling (866) 354-3473. Copies also can be purchased online through the Studer Group website at www.studergroup.com.