An important book to Wholestack Solutions growth and development has been Ray Dalio’s Principles. We gravitated to a principle of Mr. Dalio’s and made it our own: Radical Transparency.
First, we need to cover what Radical Transparency is not. Radical Transparency is not a free ticket to bullying. It’s not an open invitation to complaining. And it’s not a chance to lash out.
Mr. Dalio writes:
Being radically truthful and transparent with your colleagues and expecting your colleagues to be the same with you ensures that important issues are apparent instead of hidden. It also enforces good behavior and good thinking, because when you have to explain yourself, everyone can openly assess the merits of your logic. If you are handling things well, radical transparency will make that clear, and if you are handling things badly, radical transparency will make that clear as well, so it helps to maintain high standards.
Radical transparency asks us to speak plainly. It asks us to provide candid, constructive feedback. And radical transparency asks us to be open to opposing views. This kind of approach is difficult to cultivate in many organizations today. Too often we take things ‘personally’ or, we deliver the message in a way that’s intended to tear-down, not build up.
And it’s this line of thinking where radical transparency can truly transform an organization. If we are seeking to provide radical transparency in an effort to build something up – it will take root in the organization and provide a solid foundation for growth, trust and collaboration. Yet too many organizations allow radical transparency, without the spirit of building up.
Insults, put downs and tear downs are accepted under the guise of radical transparency; creating a hostile environment that lacks trust and collaboration. Issues fester and become emotional and being right is valued more than doing right.
This is one of the hardest philosophies we have put into practice, though, we do encourage every organization to pursue it. How can you get started? We recommend you start with the proverbial ‘low-hanging-fruit’ and ask team members to provide each other a positive piece of feedback. Some praise! Developing trust is the most critical and crucial component of radical transparency. It also gets your team into the flow of providing feedback to team members.
Over time, as trust evolves, providing constructive feedback will be another way to introduce the philosophy of radical transparency across the organization.
Building a team that trusts one another, collaborates and shares feedback will send you on your way to unleashing potential!
