How to be a Transparent Leader - 3 strategies that will boost your impact | Dr. Frank Hagenow

Описание: Dr. Frank Hagenow (psychologist and CEO coach) and Eamonn O’Brien (one of Europe’s leading authorities on strategic business storytelling) talk about why transparent leadership is important and why transparent leadership matters.

They discuss authentic leadership techniques and leadership skills for managers.

For more information go to:
www.frank-hagenow.com
www.thereluctantspeakersclub.com

And here is what we talked about:
Coming up today we're going to talk about transparent leadership…How to be a more transparent leader and why it really matters.

"Transparent leadership sounds like a great idea. But, actually, I don't really know how I do that!"
So I thought we'd share 3 specific strategies that might help people to do a better job. What's the first thing that you should do that makes a difference?

The first thing to do is to ‘Admit that you do not know everything’. These are uncertain times, and I don't have the solution. Not for everything. And not just in a minute.”

Yeah. I know. You talk about the importance of not trying to do everything in one go and small, provable steps. Why does that affect transparency?

Especially in difficult times you have to take small steps because you don't know what is going to happen and whether your decisions are affecting the situation as you'd wish or if you are making the changes you'd like to do. It is very important to take small steps on the way to your greater goal.

I think that's exactly right because you get to see what actually happens. But I think the other thing is that we need to think about - when you're trying to be a more transparent leader, how people are going to react to you on a human level. In terms of how they assess you. So what are the Litmus Tests that people apply and how can we do a better job in managing those things?

Especially in crisis, people need certainty. They need hope and they need someone who they can trust. But trust is not something which just occurs because we want it to occur. Trust is something you have to earn. And so people are really looking very, very closely to whether you are trustworthy and whether they can trust your promises. So this is something which happens all the time. They are just testing you and they are looking really closely to whether you keep your promises.

In one of the first jobs I had after college, I was so pleased because my boss told me "You're going to be a marketing executive. Oh man! I 'm like nearly on the board of directors. And he told me "We've got this brilliant product. All the insurance brokers in Ireland are going to love you.

They're going to love this. This is fabulous." And I absolutely wanted to believe it. The problem was that in the first few calls that I had with people, I was kind of getting just this kind of reaction - nodding heads and people 'kind of’ listening. And then days would go, weeks would go, months would go...I was getting no response and then I realised: "Hey, listen, this can't be right." And then I'm doubting myself, I'm doubting my boss, and doubting the company. So what's going on there - psychologically? Why is it that humans react in that way?

Because we like to have things turn out positively. We like to be the winner of the situation. We like to have things easy, because otherwise it would be a tough life. And who likes a tough life? In a crisis things aren't that easy…you need people who are willing to tell the truth. And people can handle the truth if you tell them what they need to know and what you really know – without making things up, without covering them, or sugar coating them. And this is something people, although they do not like it, would appreciate. And this will bring trust to you and will make you trustworthy.

Another very important strategy - that you suggest is ‘The importance of constantly checking in and getting feedback.’ What's that about? Why is that so important?

Especially in these difficult times, you have to stay in close contact with your team, with professionals, with experts to get things to your knowledge. But you do not always know whether you are understood properly by your counterparts. That's why you should have these feedback loops more than you should have it already. You will receive feedback and you will get to know whether you are understood in the way you would like to be perceived.

Also you should take action. Leading is about taking action. Not sitting there with your hands in your lap and waiting for something which might happen or not. Even if you're not quite sure whether this is the perfectly right decision, you should make a decision instead of doing nothing. Even if it is the wrong decision, you will know afterwards. You are able to adjust, you are able to improve, you are able to act. All the things you wouldn't be able to if you were just sitting there and waiting for things to come because you do not know whether they happen because of your action or they would have happened anyway.