Why Transparency is a Leader’s Best Communications Tool

Posted on September 23, 2020 by Terri Foley

As a leader, you know that it’s not always easy to be transparent especially with bad news, but the COVID-19 pandemic has heightened the importance of

honest, straightforward, and frequent communication with key audiences: staff, residents and families, as well as media and your larger community.

At a workshop last Friday during our Annual Meeting program, three LeadingAge Minnesota members shared their experiences in communicating about COVID-19 and what lessons they will carry on beyond COVID-19. Here are some words of hard-earned wisdom from the session called “Why Transparency is a Leaders’ Best Communications Tool” presented by Annette Greely, President/CEO, Jones-Harrison Residence, Minneapolis; Barbara Klick, CEO, Sholom, St. Louis Park; and Jon Riewer, President and CEO, Eventide Senior Communities, Moorhead.

• People appreciate it when they feel they are walking along with you and not just observing from the sidelines. During this crisis, families and community members have become partners in the fight against the virus because of open and frequent communication by organization leaders.
• Trust in you as a leader has to be earned through fact-based, open, and consistent communication with key audiences. The three leaders commented that they believed people’s confidence in them as leaders grew as the pandemic progressed because they were building stronger relationships with repeated and frequent contact with people about sometimes tough and complicated issues. This is especially true with staff teams.
• Respect your families’, residents’, and staff’s intelligence. Share links to MDH and CDC guidance, so that people can dig deeper into resources that you’ve used to make your decisions. Annette said she even used quotes from Commissioner Malcolm in some of her communications to help people understand why it’s so confusing when they’re hearing so many different things about COVID-19.
• Remember that Board members are also community ambassadors. All three leaders said board members helped reinforce the message with staff that “We’re behind you!” and can be a confident voice in the community about your organization’s COVID-19 prevention strategy.
• Keep it fresh. COVID-19 fatigue is starting to set in, and people may ignore repetitive messages. A key lesson is that you can’t over-communicate, but it’s important to customize your content and don’t exhaust one channel such as email.

In a final reflection, these leaders said that the time they invested in building and deepening relationships with local media will have dividends well beyond the pandemic. Sharing the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable facts has nurtured these partnership—in both metro, suburban, and rural locations.