Radical transparency is my favorite kind of transparency. My soul sings when a company can clearly share their ambitious goals to achieve truly meaningful change, and tells the public not only where they are succeeding, but also where they’re struggling. This, more than anything, gives me a boost of confidence in our collective efforts to keep our planet live-able. We need more of it, now!
The Business Dictionary defines transparency as the “lack of hidden agendas and conditions, accompanied by the availability of full information required for collaboration, cooperation, and collective decision making.” Its important to remember that being transparent includes sharing where we have failed or are struggling, and I think this is the side of transparency most businesses would prefer to gloss over or hide. I’ve added the descriptor “radical” because, in the world we currently live in, to publicly share whats challenging for us is a rare and brave thing to do. There is a way to share these hurdles that raises brand value, creates opportunity for industry collaboration, and doesn’t diminish a company’s industry leadership. It is meaningful to state you have a goal, you tried these things, some efforts didn’t work so you’re trying this new strategy next. And that is so much more meaningful than glossing over shortfalls, sweeping them under the rug or revising down your goals.
We need businesses to be radically transparent in setting and tracking truly ambitious goals for climate action and social equity.
Here are a couple examples at vastly different scales:
Continue reading “Radical Transparency: Now is the time for business to tell all”
