Silence isn’t golden, it’s actually pretty noisy.

In the fast-paced world of leadership, “need to know” is a dangerous phrase. 

Many leaders hold information close to the chest, fearing that sharing unfinished plans will cause panic or distraction.

The opposite is almost always true. Information vacuums are never empty. 

When you don’t lead the narrative, your team will write its own, often multiple versions, and you’re already on the back foot and losing credibility.

I’ve seen this countless times and been called in to put out fires that could have been prevented with a bit of openness. In one case, the ownership of the small company I worked for changed, and the new boss (who was part of the broader team prior to buying it) had a grand plan to lead change in the entire landscape the business was operating in. 

What the new boss didn’t do was explain any part of the broader plan to the very critical and experienced crew who provided the product. One by one, sometimes in quick succession, we all left. One of the common reasons was not understanding the vision the new boss had so we didn’t have the opportunity to even consider buying into it.

As it turns out, that new boss is still a part of the company and his early moves have been revolutionary in the industry and clearly successful – but part of the cost was the loss of some of the best in the business to competitors.

Transparency is the engine of trust

Trust isn’t built through an email or two or a single town hall meeting. It’s built through a consistent cadence of honesty and transparency. 

When employees sense they’re in the loop, they feel valued. They’re not just cogs in a machine, you’re demonstrating they’re partners in the mission.

The results of this are always evident when I visit a workplace and soon get the sense of people understanding exactly what their function is, why they’re doing it and how it supports the strategy. Just that understanding alone helps to create solidarity between those filling different roles, or even between entire teams.

Reducing the anxiety tax

When there is a bit of uncertainty, there will always be rumours. Talk of restructure or shifts in strategy can percolate and productivity always takes a nosedive. 

That’s the anxiety tax. It’s the hidden cost of silence.

Your team members spend more time hanging around the water cooler (or lurking in Teams chats) speculating about their future rather than focusing on their work. 

Keeping them informed, even if you don’t have all the answers yet, lowers the tax and helps to keep the focus on track.

Context creates autonomy

Each member of your team is there for a reason. They were hired for their expertise. But experts can’t make good decisions in a vacuum. 

By sharing the ‘why’ behind the ‘what’, you empower your managers to make decisions that align with the broader vision without needing to check in at every turn. 

Also, if your managers are trusting your approach – at a minimum, your transparency – they will more likely deliver the messages you want their teams to receive.

Works in progress are ok

Don’t wait for a finalised plan before speaking. It could be too late for buy-in, no matter how well the messages are delivered. 

Sharing the ‘working document’ of a plan, even if you’re only 70% complete, allows for feedback if you make room for it, and helps ensure the team you rely on feel like they are building the future with you, rather than have it happen to them.

We’ve all seen this in action – even if we’d rather forget

During the Covid years, noone had all the answers. There was new material to process every day and the rules keep changing. 

But, there was at least SOME information. Leaders had to take it all in, process against their ways or working, communicate it to the team quickly and get on with it. 

In the early Covid lockdown days, the need to explain new processes or protocols to wider teams was essentially a daily task. Whichever way you did it, or experienced it, I suspect more employees felt included with those monumental shifts in ways of working than ever before.

While that was something that was forced on us, you can use it as an example of why consistent and transparent messaging to your team works.

The bottom line

You don’t need to have every answer to start a conversation.

Leadership isn’t about being the sole keeper of secrets, it’s about being the chief clarity officer. If you’re the one with all the facts, you really should want to hold that office before someone else fills in the gaps.