Transparency Scare...

It never ceases to amaze me how few people get excited about transparency. O.K., let me rephrase... it never ceases to amaze me how few board members, CEOs, CFOs, administrative leaders, etc. get excited about transparency, but it has ceased to surprise me. On the other hand, donors, shareholders, volunteers, community members, etc. are pleasantly surprised, elated, excited when these organizations do open their arms as say, "Trust us! We have nothing to hide. Ask us! We want to answer your questions. Drill us! We are prepared and ready."

My concern is never the organizations that want to show everyone what they are up to, their finances, their projections, but the ones that hold it so close to the vest. If I am your donor, volunteer, shareholder, etc. I want to know why you don't share that with me - openly, honestly, without hesitation. What is holding you back? What are you doing that you shouldn't be doing?

The lack of proactive transparency signals red flags. When I would hide things under my bed, it was never because I was excited at the prospect of my mother finding them... and my answer was typically, "It isn't mine! I'm holding it for Sammy."

So my question to you is this - are you ready to take ownership, answer questions, share your past, present and future with those who care so much about you or are you going to try and hide everything and blame it on poor Sammy when you have been discovered?