How Has Transparency Impacted YOU?

Hello all and welcome back to Window Three!  Today we are going to take a look at exactly what is meant by “transparency” and how it relates to our new economy!  While most of us already know and understand the idea behind transparency, I still thought it  best to go ahead and formally define the word as it relates to human behavior and is defined in Wikipedia:

Transparency, as used in the humanities and in a social context more generally, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning a "transparent" object is one that can be seen through. Transparent procedures include open meetings, financial disclosure statements, freedom of information legislation, budgetary review, audits, etc. 

Transparency is one of those buzz words that is being thrown around in corporate America to try to define the change that is taking place.  However, what does not always follow the buzz word itself are the areas of our society that are being affected by transparency and how we, as employees of this great market, can learn to adapt to what I like to term, the transparent effect. 

Certainly the definition above was very effective. It gives us an idea as to what is meant by transparency as it relates to our economy, however, I’d like to sum it up a bit.  For us, transparency is simply an unveiling of more information.  To better support this Window Three definition for transparency, I’ve gone ahead and listed the top 10 drivers of transparency (as defined by Window Three).  Read through them and decide which of these apply to you and your career.  Some key questions to ask yourself as you read over this information:

• How has this made our society more transparent?
• How have I adapted my career/life to this transparent driver?
• What changes will this driver continue to bring about in society?

Please note, there are hundreds of other transparent drivers.  However, we do not have time to cover them all.  If you know of any that might be missing from this list, please post them in the comment section for the Window Three Blog.  We love getting new ideas!  These are in no particular order.

1.  Social Networking: Facebook, Twitter, Skype and LinkedIn - This is not a new concept to most.  What is new is how to use these social networking tools most efficiently.  For most, signing up for Facebook was the start of a race in which the person with the most friends won.  If we recognized the name, they went on our list.  After all, who wanted to be the person with only 10 friends in their network?  However, as we continue to use the networking tools, we are beginning to realize that knowing what a classmate from elementary school is doing for Memorial Day isn’t quite as important as we might have thought. 

2.  Clearly Posted Product Information:  This all started with a fast talking lawyer trying to tell us the fine print at the end of a message.  However, for a more transparent/trustworthy approach, companies have now started to be less conspicuous about the less desirable information that is related to their product.  Fast food restaurants and grocery products are now required to make available the nutritional content related to the food they sell.  Banks are required to clearly state and explain costs associated with their products.  Drug companies no longer try to display their message in small print at the bottom or through a fast talking person at the end of the message.  They now slowly talk about the side effects in an effort to be more transparent. 

3.  Media Coverage: Maybe it’s just me, but isn’t this getting a little out of hand?  Unfortunately, along with America’s increased use of the television comes more coverage of so called, ‘breaking events!’  While I certainly appreciate more transparency as it relates to world events, news has unfortunately lost its sense of objectivity.  That is, everything is spun with a level of fear.  Trust me when I say that there is more good than bad in the world, however, you wouldn’t know it from watching the news.  Being that fear sells, I guess we should all learn to adapt.  I will say this, watching two hours a day of news coverage will in no way better equip you to move through life.  In fact, it has a better chance of hindering you.  1) You waste two hours of your day and, 2) It will impact your attitude negatively. 

4.  Consumer Reviews: How good is that new movie?  A question that used to only be answered by Siskel and Ebert is now responded to by millions across the world!  Is that new restaurant any good?  What kind of service will I get from that company?  Where is the best place to get a used car?  How good of a surgeon is Dr. Howard?  These types of questions can now be answered by looking at your phone.  Two people might lie...but the masses won’t!

5.  Brutally Honest - The emotional intelligence in our younger generations has reached an all time low, an attribute that can be linked to being raised in a highly transparent environment.  Because of drivers such as social networking, our younger generation has fewer secrets, and therefore has no problem broadcasting whatever is on their mind.  After all, everyone knows what’s in their closet, might as well make public what is in yours.  It is for this reason that I warn the Leaders of tomorrow that frustration is on the horizon if you don’t learn to adapt to how you communicate with tomorrow's entry level employees.  They will make you earn your title. 

6.  YouTube:  America has a new motto, “If you don’t want people to see it, don’t do it!”  What used to only apply to celebrities is now a warning for all.  Whether you are an activist to raise awareness for human rights violations, or you got so drunk that you decided to pass out naked on the couch, your video can be found on YouTube.  One of the great things about this transparency adding website is that is allows the creative minds a platform to shine.  Companies have saved millions in advertising simply by posting a creative video, free of charge, on the YouTube website.

7.  Internet/Search Engines:  Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc. - Does anyone else remember having to spend hours upon hours in a library, looking up books that might have information on a topic that you are researching?  How about those old newspaper clippings that were read by scrolling over a projector?  Oh, how things have changed!  Now all you have to do is type a few words into one of many search engines available and, VOILA!  Now you have thousands of resources that are related to your topic, and if that isn’t enough, they’ve gone ahead and put them in order of relevance to ease your search.    

8.  Cell Phone Usage:  Not to be confused with a smart phone, the simple cell phone (voice and text) has opened up our world to new levels of communication!  Is your friend running late to meet you?  Make a phone call.  Need to find out some information for your meeting in five minutes?  Make a phone call.  Want to make plans for the weekend?  Ok, you get the point.  This driver of transparency may not be new to the market, but it continues to open up our world in ways that can’t be communicated...pun intended.  However, please do not get too comfortable with the cell phone, because its big brother is about to make it obsolete.  Cue the dramatic music for the Smart Phone!

9.  Smart Phones: Smart phones could almost be lumped in with many other drivers that have already been mentioned, however being that it gives you access to so much, I felt that it needed to have its own category.  Need to call and get information?  You can do that!  Want to find a good sushi restaurant?  You can do that too!  To save time, let’s just say that there isn’t much a Smart Phone can’t do, and their features continue to grow.  

10. Presence Management: I honestly had not heard of this term until I started doing research for this article.  In doing so, I had a conversation with a friend of mine that works for a company called Interactive Intelligence (ININ) that has a focus in this exact field.  What presence management refers to is a status indicator that shows the ability and/or willingness of a client or coworker.  For example, if you are at your desk, organizations that implement presence management will ask that you identify your availability and how you can best be contacted, i.e. office phone, cell phone, email, etc.  While it is similar to the status bar on Facebook, presence management programs offer less individuality.  For example, and depending on the program’s setup, you may have only 10 or so choices when posting your status: “In office - available on cell,” “Working with client - send email,” etc.  This ensures professionalism and simplicity.  I will tell you that I have not had the opportunity to use any type of presence management program, and my explanation doesn’t even begin to convey the program’s capabilities.  You can find out more about this up and coming support by visiting ININ’s website.

This concludes the Window Three list for the top drivers of transparency.  It is to be hoped that for each driver listed, you applied the three questions listed at the beginning of this article.  It’s one thing to understand a driver; it’s something else to use this understanding to gain a competitive edge.  As mentioned, we have no doubt that there are many more drivers of transparency in use and others that will soon be developed.  Those of us that use these tools most effectively will be ahead of the curve when it comes to making decisions that matter most.  In either case, just know that your choice will be clear, or dare I say, transparent... 

Have a great rest of the week everyone!   As always, these articles are written for your use. If you know of anyone who might find value in this message, we would be grateful if you copied the link above and emailed it to them.  Also, if you know of a leader who might be interested in using ‘Infused Coaching’ with his/her team, please email us at windowthree@me.com.    Thank You!