Adjust the Sails: How to Lead With Transparency During Challenging Times

Leaders of four Boston-based companies work to ensure that all employees feel informed and heard.

Written by Olivia Arnold
Published on Feb. 14, 2023
A group sailing.
A group sailing.
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“We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.” 

These words have been attributed to many people, from 19th century medium Cora L.V. Scott to singer-songwriter Dolly Parton. Despite its ambiguous origins, the quote’s sentiments are universal: We will all experience things that are out of our control. What matters is how we adapt.

As the tech industry faces a tumultuous period marked by stalled consumer spending and surging layoffs, companies are pivoting and making big decisions that impact their entire organizations. It’s imperative now more than ever that leaders clearly communicate changes, remain receptive to employee feedback and foster a culture of transparency. 

At these four Boston-area companies — SharkNinja, Dynatrace, Rapid7 and Allego — leaders are intentional about acting authentically and explaining the “why” behind major business decisions. In an effort to keep everyone informed and heard, they regularly host town halls, distribute pulse-check surveys, organize safe-space conversations in employee resource groups and more. 

After all, as Christine Kinahan from SharkNinja points out, “Sometimes, being a leader is listening more than speaking.”

Kinahan and the leaders featured below have valuable advice to share for those hoping to navigate choppy waters and steer their teams through the storm.

 

Christine Kinahan
EVP, People and Culture, and Chief People Officer • SharkNinja

E-commerce company SharkNinja creates an array of household products including blenders, air fryers and vacuums. 

 

How do you encourage a culture of transparency, particularly during a time of industry ups and downs?

We believe in communicating for impact at every opportunity and every level within the organization. It’s how we stay connected to each other and solicit feedback. SharkNinja holds regular global town halls, fireside chats and question-and-answer sessions. 

It’s also important for us to bring associates together in more intimate settings, such as new-hire roundtables to connect with our executive leadership team and hear what is happening at all levels. 

Personally, I’m committed to an onboarding experience that reflects our culture of transparency from day one by being present at every onboarding session to get to know, welcome and connect with our new hires.

SharkNinja holds regular global town halls, fireside chats and question-and-answer sessions.

 

How do you make yourself available to employees so they can ask questions?

I find it is important to seek out our associates’ feedback. I’m regularly interacting with associates, and being back in the office helps facilitate those connections. 

As a people and culture team, we regularly host office hours and videos with our leaders, DEI sessions, skip levels and encourage participation in our DEI employee resource groups as safe spaces where our associates ask relevant questions that are important to them. 

It’s imperative to me that we really understand and truly hear our associates’ voices and positions. Whether they connect with me or their peers, I encourage relentless curiosity at every step with everyone through the organization. This allows them to cultivate a learning mindset to help us accelerate the work and their SharkNinja experience.

 

What tips do you have for fellow leaders who are endeavoring to create a culture of transparency right now?

Authenticity is key. Don’t be afraid to answer the tough questions. Lean into the vulnerability. Seek out answers within and outside the organization. Sometimes, being a leader is listening more than speaking.

 

 

The Allego team.
Allego
Yuchun Lee
CEO • Allego

Allego’s platform provides sales representatives with industry knowledge and personalized coaching. 

 

How do you encourage a culture of transparency, particularly during a time of industry ups and downs?

The best time to prepare a team for the market’s ups and downs is to not wait until there is a crisis. At Allego, we value transparency greatly, as it leads to better collaboration and psychological safety at work. 

We incorporated this aspect into an operating principle at Allego. We share it with all employees upon joining the company and reinforce it in all of our companywide communications.

 

How do you make yourself available to employees so they can ask questions?

We leverage videos asynchronously — using Allego, our own product — and share on average one video every two weeks to all employees for key business updates. In addition, we bring people in person twice a year and hold quarterly all-hands meetings (some done virtually) to provide rapid and candid exchange.

All executives have an open-door policy when it comes to employees looking to collaborate or ask questions. I have never turned down a one-on-one meeting in my entire career as a CEO.

All executives have an open-door policy when it comes to employees looking to collaborate or ask questions.”

 

What tips do you have for fellow leaders who are endeavoring to create a culture of transparency right now?

Transparency is built on trust and being intellectually honest about the truth. This requires leaders to have their ego in check and actively foster an open, collaborative and a “mistakes are OK” work culture. 

It’s what leaders and managers do with the information after employees are transparent with them that can either help or hurt the cause for building a culture of transparency. Leaders have to first walk the walk before expecting the broader employee base to act accordingly.

 

 

Kelly Heinrich
Senior Director Change Management • Dynatrace

Dynatrace’s software platform leverages AI and automation to enable businesses to operate more efficiently. 

 

How do you encourage a culture of transparency, particularly during a time of industry ups and downs?

I’ve achieved more success through openness and relationship building than technical expertise alone. Transparency is about open and honest two-way communication about business culture, performance, decision-making and objectives.   

At Dynatrace, we encourage a culture of transparency by aiming to engage all employees. In our daily work life, this looks like sharing business results, holding interactive town halls and distributing pulse-check surveys. 

We prioritize open communication between leaders and employees so that no one is kept in the dark. This also extends to using technology, such as Slido, during meetings, so any employee can ask questions anonymously. We record meetings, translate key documents, write simply and clearly, and post content on the global intranet for everyone’s access.  

Personally, I champion a culture of transparency by role-modeling open communication, asking the questions that no one else wants to ask and actively bringing people together to chat with each other as often as possible.

At Dynatrace, we encourage a culture of transparency ... this looks like sharing business results, holding interactive town halls and distributing pulse-check surveys.”

 

How do you make yourself available to employees so they can ask questions?

I host weekly team meetings and one-on-ones so that I can get an understanding of what’s going well and where there might be challenges. Having worked in communications and change management for much of my career, my style is to over-communicate and regularly seek feedback. 

I create a team culture of human connections by taking the time to get to know my colleagues. Even though I work from home, I am available by Zoom (preferably with video), email, Slack, text or phone.

 

What tips would you share with fellow leaders who are endeavoring to create a culture of transparency right now?

Creating a culture of transparency requires authenticity. Tell the truth. Share what you know, what you don’t know and when you might know. Provide the rationale for business decisions.  Explaining “why” helps others make sense of what’s happening around them. 

Lastly, be open to receiving input from others and assume good intent. Feedback can help us build a better organization.

 

 

The Rapid7 office.
Rapid7
Christina Luconi
Chief People Officer • Rapid7

Rapid7 helps businesses build cybersecurity programs. 

 

How do you encourage a culture of transparency, particularly during a time of industry ups and downs?

We spend a lot of time trying to help our global population understand the “why” behind our decisions and directions. From our monthly town hall meetings to everyday Slack announcements and everything in between, helping our people understand context has been critical to gaining understanding and acceptance.

 

How do you make yourself available to employees so they can ask questions?

Town halls offer the opportunity for employees to submit questions ahead of time or during the session. Our leadership team has built a reputation for its accessibility. We work hard to create an environment where anyone feels like they can speak with anyone. 

One way that we foster that is through our “InsightCoffee” program, which is intended to be a casual way for people to meet in person or virtually and get to know each other better. The only asks in return are for people to post a picture — selfie! — of them meeting and to share in Slack what they learned about each other, so that everyone gets to know each other better. 

We also enable managers and leaders to answer questions directly and, if they don’t know the answer, where to go to get it.

 

What tips do you have for fellow leaders who are endeavoring to create a culture of transparency right now?

Build it because you truly believe that operating with transparency is the right way to lead, not because it’s a popular trend right now. Transparency doesn’t mean every person needs to know everything, but that when you lead, you help your team feel informed, supported and respected. 

Transparency doesn’t mean every person needs to know everything, but that when you lead, you help your team feel informed, supported and respected.”

 

When you can’t share information (e.g., not everyone needs access to every piece of financial data in the company!), provide context as to what is shared and what is not. When you make changes in the company, don’t just focus on the “what” but the “why,” as well. 

Like in any relationship, candor and transparency are vital to building mutual trust and loyalty. Lead the way you would like to be led; transparency plays an essential role in that.

 

 

Responses have been edited for length and clarity. Images via listed companies and Shutterstock.