I am a big believer in transparency. Transparency builds trust and creates a trusting and respectful work environment.

Share vision. Share rationale. Share decision-making processes. Don’t share chaos.

Trust me. I’ve learned this one the hard way. Sharing too much may make you feel better, but the stress multiplies as it rolls downhill. Resist the urge and learn to become a buffer.

“Sadly most organizations seemed to have embraced chaos and called it a good thing for an organization. One example is the rising number of job descriptions that include “tolerance for ambiguity’ as a necessary skill. Let me be clear: chaos is never a good thing for an organization. While the world is fluid, and increasingly so, this is no excuse for ambiguity and chaos in organizations. Rather than asking your workforce to accept and develop a skill set around coping with chaos, you should be doing everything you can to reduce the chaos to begin with.”

~Karen Martin, The Outstanding Organization

Your team does not want to…

• see the stress on your face
• know about the indecision in the meeting you just left
• understand the stupid hoops you just jumped through
• have their schedule jerked around because yours is a moving target
• have deadlines that creep closer as you get more nervous
• hear about the pressure you have from those above
• know about your political or career struggles

They do want to…

• understand the big picture
• know where they fit in
• understand what they need to do
• know which decisions are final
• understand what is up for discussion
• know what could still change

They are looking for you to…

• do what you said you would
• stay the course on your big plans
• be there to support
• explain the reasons behind any changes
• follow through on your commitments

It takes courage to buffer the chaos. Teach resilience, but shield as much as you can. They will watch and learn and grow from the experience of watching you do it well.

See Also: 7 Ways to Help Your Team Deal With Ambiguity