Transparency vs Need to Know

This is a question that's been festering in my head ever since that Wikileaks story surfaced in the media. For the record, I don't think the story is about:

• US foreign policy
• Access to data laws that may have been broken
• Domestic terrorism or national security
• The ego maniacal nature of the Wikileaks founder
• What any other country thinks of the data revealed
• The technical nature of how the data was accessed
  

For me, this is a tug of war between the need for greater levels of transparency in government and large organizations, and the understanding that some things are not intended for a wider audience. It's the geopolitical equivalent of parenting. On one hand, there's what we really think of our kid's performance on the field, in the class or wherever...these are thoughts that rarely leave our mouths. On the other hand, there's what we say to insure that our words are positively reinforcing, and don't cut down the kid's ego. Wikileaks parallels this to me, except that both voices are actually heard and laid down for the record on a governmental scale.

Should an ambassador be allowed to give an unvarnished, un-spun version of how they see another country or situation, knowing its intended for purely internal use...yes of course. Should a government be allowed to make important decisions and not disclose those, as they may be unpopular ...probably not.

But the context of the Wikileaks situations brings this into sharper and more pressing focus. Should a third party organization be in a position to expose all information they lay their hands on, in the public interest..? Well that's an interesting one. No right has been given to them to do this by the public, nor was the public asking for this depth of information. And government's certainly aren't happy about having their pants pulled down in public.

But there's a silver lining here I might suggest, even though we didn't know we needed one.

Knowing that we could be exposed, that our stock price might dip, that our popularity could sag in the event our "true" bad behaviors are revealed, that will help keep us in line a little. If we've lost our moral compass as a guiding principle, at least the fear of exposure will help keep things on the straight and narrow a little. This is clearly a stick rather than a carrot, but if as a society we don't elect to self-motivate ourselves into doing the right thing, perhaps there's a role for the wiki-leaks of the world.

This is a sad conclusion of course, and one we can fix by managing our companies the way we would want to be managed, and electing individuals to represent us that don't just tell us what we want to hear, but also tell us the hard truths we need to hear. I'm not sure that's a short term realistic expectation however, so we're back to relying on the Julian Assange's of the world.

Very sad indeed.

Faith

I do work for a company that I used to work at as an employee, and as happens occasionally, events with customers or internal developments don't go quite as planned. It's frustrating to me but I go with the flow as they say, understanding that it's difficult at times to get customers moving at the speed you might like. We've all been there.

There are guidelines or rules as well though as to how our interactions happen - that is between the company and I, and while I have to have faith that our work together will be fairly looked at, I do find it interesting and concerning that at times that's one-way. You see when things are up in the air as they often are with customers, the company sees risk and so do I. When this happens there's a very clear choice that has to be made - do you continue to work in good faith, or do you put on the brakes and decide not to expose yourself, waste anymore valuable time and so on without some guarantee of being compensated.

Now, I for one like the idea of faith in each other, as it makes the pavement of life a little better to walk along if I look at it in a big picture sense, but I'm also aware we live in a litigious society today, and the lack of a confirmed commitment to do work together means we don't have one. In the event that things do turn out for the worse, then I would be relying on the goodwill of my friends at the company to do the right thing. That spells more risk for me, but none for them.

Faith works best when it's shared, when we all have the same vision for what success looks like and move together in that direction. Having faith alone in something - that's usually the start of the definition of 'crazy'.

And the Winner for Most Empowering Washroom Accessory is...

I was at a customer site last week and in their grand headquarters lobby area. Bright, airy, spacious and with an entire wall of patents that company had done. Impressive, and suitably intimidating to those visitors coming into it. I'm certain that was the desired effect.

As usual, there was a set of washrooms on one wall of this great space, and these are the ones primarily used by visitors, being outside of the security perimeter of the organization's inner workings. I had occasion to visit these while waiting there, and upon exit there was a wall size mirror - easily 15 feet high and 10 feet across. Etched into it in very large font across the top was "You Look Great!"

I smiled, and felt the great karmic readjustment take place and appreciated their corporate culture that much more for this small gift.

Honesty - or Not

Are you honest when asked what you think of another's work or style or statements ? Or do you tell them something "nice", not wanting to offend or hurt their feelings. Perhaps you are truthful, brutally so - with the end result that you're resented for the bluntness and insensitivity shown. We've all heard and been part of variations on these discussions before.

Some people are known for their frankness and respected for it, while others are known for their tact and ability to say just the right thing at the right time.

Have you thought about what you're known for ?

I'd bet others have, and it runs through their mind before asking you whether they look good in this outfit, are compelling in this argument, or will have their perspective adopted in this argument.

I might encourage you to become known for the nature of your responses, as you will be able to tell an awful lot about the people asking you things if you have defined yourself.

If for example, you're a 'straight-shooter' known for your no BS responses, being (or not being) asked for your opinion tells you whether the other person is actually looking to be told the truth. If you're a flatterer, then those seeking your words will need re-assurance, but those seeking the truth know they need not ask.

By defining yourself amongst your friends and peers like this, you will move beyond the conversations about weather and last night's TV programs. Instead you're going to start to really connect on the said, and unsaid.

Now be truthful, does this blog make me look fat ?

Coaching Magic

I'm on the path of learning to coach.

Which is interesting as I had thought I had done it for many years, and tried to emulate that kind of behavior for years before that. It turns out coaching is harder than it seems, and is a term often mis-used.

To coach, we have to create an environment where others learn from within, and begin to trust themselves. They become aware and responsible.

Sounds good doesn't it ?

Which makes me want to learn to coach.

Deployed

Someone very close to me was deployed this week - off to war-torn Afghanistan to do his part. I've wondered this Remembrance day week a fair bit about this, and asked myself if I might have done the same.

In that position, it doesn't matter whether you agree with the mission objective - the reason foreign troops are on Afgan soil. In that position it doesn't matter whether you want to go, or whether you will like living in a tent for six months. If you have strong feelings either way about the Taliban, and their style and history of local government - it doesn't matter.

Because you're told to go - you're deployed and it's part of the lifestyle that you've chosen for yourself. Therein lies your level of control, the ability to affect the situations that effect you. Often this is a decision taken long ago, a life choice made before that life opened up it's mysteries, challenges and beauty to you.

When faced with this direction, you can become stoic, understanding the greater duty involved in serving, and resigning yourself to some minor hardships along the way. Or you can happily welcome the chance to do your part - help those you serve with and those you don't and make a difference, knowing that you can make a real difference and assist those people that will need it most in their darkest times.

My friend went to Afghanistan with a little of both of these attitudes , but mostly the latter. He's wise enough to keep his head when things get tough, and positive enough to inspire those around him.

I didn't question his decision to go, even once as I knew he needed to be there to satisfy his desire to do the right thing. That seems ironic and poignant during this week, but next week and the week after and the one after that, I'll still be thinking of him, and I'll always be proud of him. I'm honored to call him my friend and yet embarrassed to have not told him so in as many words.

Keep your head down buddy, and come back safe.

Will it Make the Boat go Faster

A singular focus. A common purpose and an unrelenting attention to that which will help us be ultimately successful. That's what the title refers to.

It was used as a rally-call by Team New Zealand in the America's Cup race some years back. I was so taken with the idea, that I had large signs with the same message printed up, and placed in my office - though I was neither a sailor or in a boat.

The beauty of the message is that it was pervasively used by the organizing teams and administration of Team New Zealand in their preparation leading up the race. It was present in Finance meetings, HR meetings, sourcing and every other discussion as the guiding principle of why they were there. It didn't matter your role on the greater team, from Captain to coffee-boy, all were aimed at the same objective.

Ask yourself if during the last meeting you were in, if that was the case. I suspect not.

It's a unique organization that can so thoroughly and completely get all involved to move in the same direction, in unison, and have all benefit from the momentum created. We think of culture at an organization as being difficult to craft and nurture, but in reality it's the simplest messages, applied with consistency that help the cream rise to the top.

By the way...they won the race...the boat did go faster.