Transparency can create more trust than it prevents

People and orgs tend to shy away from transparency out of fear of opening themselves up for critique or creating distrust.

However, what I've experienced and observed is that lack of transparency itself creates more distrust than it prevents. People tend to have a sense for when they are being lied to, gaslit, or handled, even if they can't necessarily put a finger on it.

Transparency is counterintuitive to how most of us have been socialized. It's counterintuitive to the systems of oppression and litigation that dominate our culture.

Transparency is a hard value to live up to, for sure.

But how can you change a thing you're not even willing to name?

How can you heal a hurt you're not even willing to acknowledge?

How can you take responsibility for actions and behaviors you won't admit to?

Transparency, like almost anything, can be weaponized, especially if not paired with a power analysis and a consideration for who is being transparent with who.

Transparency, when done thoughtfully and intentionally, is actually what can start to build trust even when trust has been completely destroyed.

Where could you use transparency to create trust? Where can you advocate for transparency to create trust?

A version of this post was first published on Feb 28th, 2020. Read more about why transparency matters.

Banner photo by Cole Keister on Unsplash

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