Creating a Culture of Transparency in Tech

I’ve led through at least six major layoffs and countless major org changes, impacting hundreds of people. Here’s the biggest lesson I’ve learned: people can handle hard news. What they can’t handle is silence. Radical transparency is one of my core values, in life and in leadership. I don’t want people to waste any energy trying to guess what I’m thinking or feeling. When we hold back truth under the excuse of “protecting” people, we’re assuming they can’t handle reality, and that's not kind or helpful. It's more like control than leadership. Of course there are limits -- NDAs, legal stuff, work still in progress. But within those guardrails you should still tell the clearest truth you can. Here’s what happens when you don’t: - People get confused & frustrated because they feel something's up - Trust erodes - Teams feel like change is happening TO them instead of WITH them I see it a lot right now with AI. Behind closed doors, companies are building and integrating tech that will reshape jobs. Some roles will evolve, some roles will disappear and some roles will be created. That's just the reality. And yet, I keep hearing: “We don’t want to scare people.” “Let’s wait until we have a full plan.” “We need to protect the team.” No. You’re not protecting them. You’re disempowering them. You’re stealing their chance to prepare, to upskill, to adapt. If you really care about your people, you’ll tell them early. Tell them often. Tell them the truest thing you can, even if it’s messy. Yes, it’s a risk. Some people might leave. Some might disengage. But it's far more likely they’ll quit or check out if they sense something’s up and you’re not telling them. People sense gatekeeping. And it destroys loyalty. Think back to the last time a leader told you the truth, even when it was tough. You probably respected them more, not less. That’s the power of transparency. It earns effort and respect. And that, my friends, is leadership.

A strong remote culture is NOT about tools. It's about radical transparency. Every month at Goldcast, our entire team sees: → Revenue reality vs targets → Customer health metrics → Complete pipeline data → Exact runway numbers → Current burn rate For this ONE big reason 👇 The "trust gap." Without hallway conversations... Without reading body language... Without informal updates... Information becomes currency. And currency creates politics. That's why we use radical transparency. Guessing slows people down. 📈 When we started sharing financials: - Teams got calmer (not more anxious) - Solutions came from everywhere - Trust went through the roof - Execution got faster 📌 Think about it: No one shows up to work wanting to fail. Give them the real picture, they'll help you win. Hide things? They'll assume the worst. Then waste time managing imaginary problems. Your remote team moves at the speed of trust. Trust moves at the speed of truth. Be more transparent. It will help you win ✌️ -- 👋 P.S. Does your company do this?

👀 What would happen if we eliminated the information asymmetry in our organizations? Erin Eatough, PhD and I had a chance to spend the day with Menlo Innovations, a software company in Ann Arbor, MI. At Menlo, transparency is woven into the very fabric of how they operate. Three practices stood out that challenge conventional thinking about what information should be "protected" vs. shared: 1. Complete pay transparency: At Menlo, everyone knows what everyone else makes. This eliminates the secrecy, politics, and inequities that often plague compensation systems. When a new role or promotion opportunity arises, the conversation isn't clouded by speculation about pay—it's clear what the position earns and why. 2. Open book management: Once a week, the entire team participates in estimating and discussing the company's metrics. Rich Sheridan, CEO, shared how this practice actually improved during their pandemic pivot—even when revenue took a hit in the wake of the pandemic, the team understood exactly why and could collaborate on solutions rather than being kept in the dark. 3. Customer relationships without gatekeepers: Developers directly interact with customers rather than having requirements filtered through multiple layers of management. High-Tech Anthropologists (HTAs) go directly to where the product will be used to observe real users, gathering unfiltered insights that drive product development. Their leadership philosophy is captured in a simple principle: "Make decisions at the lowest level possible." This isn't about abdicating leadership—it's about creating frameworks where more people can meaningfully contribute. Research consistently shows that psychological ownership drives engagement. When people understand the "why" behind decisions and have visibility into how the organization functions, they become invested in outcomes in ways that command-and-control structures can never achieve. It's one of the (many) ways the Menlo team designs for joy at work. My question for you: What information are you protecting that might actually create more value if shared? Where could increased transparency reduce politics and increase collective problem-solving in your organization? #RadicalTransparency #ParticipativeLeadership #OpenBookManagement #OrganizationalPsychology #FractionalInsights

"We just found out the infrastructure team is building the exact same notification system we've been working on for the past three months. How did nobody know about this?" 🤦♂️ This scenario plays out in companies every day. When you have 20 people, everyone knows what everyone else is doing. Once you hit 200 or 2,000, it's an entirely different game. Small organizations can move quickly because they're naturally aligned. Information flows freely. Decisions are visible. Then growth happens, and suddenly people are building solutions in parallel without knowing it. Teams optimize for their own metrics at the expense of broader company goals or what is going on around them. Knowledge becomes a form of power rather than a shared resource. James Clear captures this perfectly: "You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems." So what's the antidote? Working in public. This means: 📣 Sharing ideas when they're half-baked, not just when they're polished 👀 Making strategic discussions visible beyond the "necessary" participants ✍️ Documenting decisions and their context so others can follow the thread 🔍 Actively seeking input from those with relevant expertise, not just those with relevant titles When teams feel pressure to move quickly and make as much impact as possible, they can choose to run them as closed, executive projects. But the most successful ones create visibility into their thinking from the beginning. Yes, this invites complexity. Yes, it surfaces objections. But it also uncovers important insights that would become expensive roadblocks (and rewrites) if discovered later. The pushback I often hear is: 🐢 "This will slow us down." 🧑🍳 "Too many cooks in the kitchen." 🚫 "People will criticize before the idea is ready." The reality is that while working in public might feel slower at the start, it dramatically reduces the technical, product, and organizational debt that accumulates when teams work in isolation. It creates stronger solutions through diversity of thought. It builds organizational muscle memory for collaboration. Working in public isn't just about transparency — it's about creating systems that make the right thing the easy thing. What systems have you put in place to ensure your organization doesn't fall prey to silos? #leadership #strategy #productmanagement #scaling -------- 👋 Hi, I'm Nathan Broslawsky. Follow me here and subscribe to my newsletter above for more insights on leadership, product, and technology. ♻️ If you found this useful and think others might as well, please repost for reach!

Here's one I was asked on Monday. How transparent should you be with your startup's financials? As an early-stage tech founder, you're likely still figuring out the answer to this question. I struggled early on. But here's my 2 cents. Transparency breeds trust. Trust keeps the team together when shit hits the fan. BUT, transparency doesn't mean you have to share every detail. Start with the big picture: - How much runway the company has - The top-level financial goals - The impact of company performance on the bottom line From there, you can decide how granular you want to get. I've seen some founders go all the way. I've seen some founders stop at the big picture. The key is to be consistent with the level of transparency you provide. You cannot come in and out. If you're open with your team one day, and then closed off the next, it will naturally destroy the trust you were shooting for in the first place. Remember, your team is invested too. 'Consistent' transparency will keep them in the boat as waters get choppy. And trust me, shit will get choppy. You are not exempt. Happy Wednesday, ya'll.