Transparency Isn’t Telling Everyone Everything: The art of transparent leadership

Transparency is one of those leadership words that sounds simple until you try to live it.

Many assume it means radical openness – sharing everything, all the time, in the name of authenticity. But that kind of transparency can create more confusion than trust, especially in moments of pressure.

True transparency is at the heart of effective crisis management: it’s about knowing what to share, when to share it, and why it matters.

True transparent leadership isn’t about narrating your every thought or fear in real time. It’s about giving people clarity when clarity is needed. It isn’t about unburdening yourself but helping others act with confidence. It requires discernment, timing, and courage.

When a crisis hit our business in 2023, I learned that lesson viscerally. I could have stood in front of the team and poured out my panic in the name of honesty. Instead, I chose quiet. I stepped back, gathered myself, and did the hard work of turning chaos into a plan. Only then did I speak, and that decision changed everything.

Silence as the First Act of Transparent Leadership

When the critical moment arrived, it did so without warning. It was swift, disorienting, and absolute. One day, the ground felt solid beneath us; the next, it was gone. My first instinct was to shield the team from the full weight of what was unfolding. They didn’t need to see my panic; they needed me to think.

I did something that felt counterintuitive for a leader under pressure: I stepped away. I took myself out of the office for a week, telling the team that a personal issue meant I needed to work from home for a few days. I cancelled all meetings that weren’t directly related to solving the problem.

This retreat gave me space to think. It meant I didn’t need to offer false reassurance or maintain the pretence of control. I wasn’t hiding; I was buying clarity. I needed space to feel the shock privately and to transform it into strategy before I shared it publicly.

During that week, I stripped the problem to its bones. What was critical? What could wait? What mattered most to survival, not just of the business, but of the culture we’d built? Slowly, a practical, actionable plan began to form.

Looking back, that pause was the most transparent thing I could have done. It was an act of honesty with myself – an admission that panic and leadership cannot coexist. By stepping back, I made it possible to return with something worth saying.

Transparency begins long before you speak.

Speaking When It Mattered

A few days later, I returned to the office feeling composed and confident in the recovery strategy I’d built. I didn’t start with a grand announcement; I started with people.

One by one, I met with each team member, told them what had happened, and assured them that I had a plan. Those conversations were brief but real – no spin, no performance, just calm honesty. It mattered to me that each person heard the news directly from me, and that they had the chance to ask questions privately before we came together as a group.

Later that day, once everyone had had time to process what I’d said, we met as a team. I laid out the plan: the immediate priorities, the actions, and the part each of them would play. I didn’t have every answer, but I had direction and a way forward.

That timing – retreat, process, plan, individual conversations first, collective briefing second – shaped how the team responded to the plan. It gave people space to feel safe before they were asked to act.

The feedback afterwards was remarkably consistent: they appreciated the calm, measured approach and the honesty of the communication. They trusted it because it was human. Several told me I was right to shield them from the brutal truth until there was something useful they could do with it.

It taught me that transparency isn’t about speed or volume; it’s about precision and care. Sometimes the most powerful thing a leader can do is wait until there’s something solid to say and then say it simply.

The Discipline of Transparent Leadership

In the months that followed, I thought a great deal about what it means to lead transparently. We tend to imagine transparency as a floodlight – an act of exposure – when in truth it’s more like a well-placed lamp: focused, deliberate, and illuminating only what people need to see to move forward with confidence.

That week away taught me that transparency isn’t about volume; it’s about usefulness. Sharing too soon can create confusion or anxiety; sharing too late can breed mistrust. The balance lies in offering clarity, not catharsis – giving people the information they need to act, without burdening them with what they can’t change.

I also realised that transparency begins long before you speak. It starts with being honest with yourself: naming your own fear, confusion, or uncertainty privately so that what you communicate publicly is measured and grounded.

That internal honesty gives external clarity.

When I finally spoke to the team, I wasn’t performing steadiness – I was steady. That difference is everything. It’s why the message landed, why people felt safe, and why we were able to move together from crisis to recovery.

Clarity given at the right moment builds more trust than honesty blurted in panic.

Lessons in Transparency

Looking back, that week reshaped how I think about communication at work. A few truths have stayed with me since.

1. Transparency is about clarity, not confession. Your job isn’t to narrate your inner state; it’s to give people the context they need to do their best work.

2. Timing matters. Pause before you speak. Silence isn’t secrecy – it’s preparation. Words shared too early can cause panic; words shared at the right time create alignment.

3. Protect your team from unnecessary distress. Honesty isn’t cruelty. Part of leadership is absorbing enough of the turbulence to make the path ahead navigable for others.

4. Share context, not chaos. Information has to serve a purpose. Offer insight, not overload.

I believe these principles are applicable across the workplace, whether you’re leading a construction project, a small team or a whole group of businesses.

Transparency isn’t a spotlight, blazing indiscriminately over everything. It’s more like sunlight through glass – it illuminates what matters, bringing warmth and clarity without burning or blinding.

What the Stillness Taught Me

We haven't had to navigate a setback of that magnitude since; however, unexpected challenges will always be part of running a business. The principles remain the same: pause long enough to gather your thoughts, plan your strategy, and then communicate with honesty and intent.

That rhythm – think, plan, speak – has become my discipline. It’s what turns panic into leadership and confusion into clarity.

Transparency, I’ve learned, isn’t about immediacy; it’s about integrity. In the noise of the modern workplace, that stillness is what makes the difference between reaction and resolve.

Author

Lizzie Hewitt

Lizzie is the driving force behind Iconic Project Management. She thrives on crafting creative strategies that set the company apart, ensuring every project delivers maximum value for clients.

Her leadership is built on a people-first approach—empowering the team with the right tools, support, and culture to do what they do best: deliver outstanding projects on time, on budget, and on brief.

Passionate about innovation and continuous improvement, Lizzie is committed to making the construction industry a place where people and projects thrive.