Generating trust through transparency

We hear a lot about transparency as a key element of leadership and healthy culture, but what does it actually mean to employees—and more importantly, to you as a leader? Transparency is important because there’s a close correlation between transparency and employee trust. There’s also a close correlation between employee trust and engagement. Both, of course, are critically important for healthcare organizations, especially in environments where top talent is hard to find and keep.

Healthcare Leaders Value Transparency

As I have conversations with healthcare leaders, one of the questions I like to ask them is: “Imagine you’re overhearing your staff talking about you in the break room. What would you hope they’d say?”

The answers are remarkably consistent: “They’re open.” “They’re honest.” “They’re fair.” “They’re approachable and accessible.”

Notice something? Every single one of these desired qualities is closely linked to transparency.

The Trust-Engagement Connection

According to the Edelman Trust Barometer, 81% of employees expect their CEO to be visible and transparent about company values and practices. They report that transparency strongly correlates with employee engagement.

In healthcare, where employee engagement also highly correlates to better patient outcomes and safer care, ensuring transparency isn’t just “nice-to-have”—it’s essential.

Being a transparent leader is really about creating an environment where information flows in all directions and people feel heard and informed. It’s about removing the barriers between leadership and the frontline staff who interact with patients every single day.

Easier said than done.

The Survey Silence Problem

What happens when employees don’t feel their leaders are being transparent?

Over years of conducting employee focus groups in healthcare organizations, I’ve heard one complaint more than any other from employees: “Why do I bother participating? We don’t get the results.” or “They’re hiding something from us.”

One of the most common examples? The employee engagement survey black hole.

Here’s how it typically plays out: Your organization invests time and resources into an annual engagement or satisfaction survey. Employees dutifully complete it, often sharing honest (and sometimes difficult) feedback. Then… silence. Weeks turn into months.

Sometimes a year passes.

When I ask the leaders about whether they’ve shared survey results with employees, they often say, “No, we haven’t shared them yet.” Why? They’re waiting until they have a perfect, comprehensive game plan for solving every single problem the survey revealed.

But that’s an unrealistic expectation.

Transparency Doesn’t Require Perfection

Here’s what many leaders miss: transparency in these situations doesn’t mean having all the answers. It simply means being able to say, “Here is what we learned, and here is what we’re doing about it”—even if what you’re doing initially is considering how you will address the issue.

Your employees don’t expect you to fix everything overnight. They do expect you to acknowledge what they told you and demonstrate that you’re taking their feedback and concerns seriously.

The formula is straightforward:

• “You spoke.”
• “We listened.”
• “Here’s what we’re working on.”

Of course you can’t address every concern immediately. Some issues require more time, resources, or strategic planning. That’s okay. But share what you can share. Explain what you’re prioritizing and why. Be honest about timeline constraints or resource limitations.

This approach builds more trust than radio silence ever could.

Building a Culture of Transparency

Transparency isn’t a one-time event—it’s an ongoing practice that requires regular, honest, and open communication—even when you don’t have complete answers. It requires consistency between what you say and what you do. It requires visibility and presence, so employees can ask questions and voice concerns. And it requires honesty about both successes and challenges.

When you commit to transparency, you’re not just sharing information—you’re inviting your employees into a partnership. You’re saying, “We’re in this together, and your perspectives matter.”

In healthcare, transparent leadership is the foundation upon which healthy cultures are built.

So the next time you’re tempted to wait for the “perfect plan” or the “complete solution” before communicating with your team, remember: your employees would rather have an honest conversation today than a more perfect plan six months from now.

Your employees are listening. What will they hear?

Are you ready to assess the level of transparency and trust in your organization? Contact Baird Group to learn how we can help you build a culture where information flows freely, employees feel heard, and transparency is the norm.