Soup: A Recipe to Nourish Your Team and Culture

Chapter 24. Add a Big Dose of Transparency and Authenticity

"First, it starts with you," Grandma said. "Remember, you are stirring the pot. You add a lot of communication to the soup and a big dose of transparency and authenticity with it. If you communicate in an authentic and transparent way, people will be more likely to trust you, believe in you, and follow you. Your communication has to be real and you have to be real."

Nancy knew this to be true. People were tired of leaders who read from a script and who asked questions based on some active-listening and management class they took. People didn't want to follow robots. They wanted to be led by real people who shared real emotions and who had real challenges. People wanted leaders and managers who spoke from the heart and who spoke the truth. She had an idea, and she told Grandma and Peter she was going to host a series of interactive meetings to eliminate as much uncertainty as possible and to enhance two-way communication; in this way, she could not only share information with her employees but also receive feedback from them.

"That's a great idea," Peter said. "But remember, it's not just you who has to earn their trust. All your managers must consistently fill the void with positive communication. It's essential that your managers also communicate one-on-one with the people in their departments. Trust is built one person, one relationship at a time. Your managers need to share the status of the company. They need to let people ...