If You Can See Me
Am I Still There? Ijournal Assignment
- What does transparency and authenticity mean to you?
- Consider appropriate disclosure vs. inappropriate disclosure in these areas:
- Workplace; what do you need to share more of? Less of?
- Family: what do you need to share more of? Less of?
- Social settings: what do you need to share more of? Less of?
- Do you feel that the real you and the “you” that is projected to others is aligned or out of alignment?
- What areas are in alignment? What areas are out of alignment? Why?
- How can you gain or increase alignment; what’s one action you can take?
Monitor your use of the threats to transparency
Beating Around the Bush
To avoid unpleasantness, individuals may use words as a delaying tactic to either distance or insulate themselves from the disruption they believe full disclosure would create.
Shading Reality
To protect ourselves from disappointment or to enhance our self image, we select words that create an image of reality that is more reflective of our hopes than reality.
Embellishing Certainty or Expertise
Some people inflate their own role or value. If this behavior is extreme it often paradoxically signals insecurity. Others see through this type of behavior and are often resentful of it.
Withholding Relevant Information
This can be a power play to leverage the value and impact of the information one holds. It’s a means of manipulating others to advance personal agendas.
Failing to Give Due Credit
Failure to acknowledge the input of others or taking credit for the ideas or work of others is not characteristic of an effective leader. So everyone might see through the person doing this, it could be argued they are being transparent. But this type of transparency can be a career derailer.
Not Letting Others Know Your True Position
To look agreeable to all, people sometimes attempt to “straddle the fence” by using words that allow diverse listeners to generate equally diverse interpretations of what is really meant. This includes omission, where one simply fails to acknowledge where one stands. This type of distortion is particularly prevalent in groups and often creates outcomes that nobody really wanted, but each assumed everyone else did!
Telling Someone what They Want to Hear
Often people try to protect themselves and others by only telling the “good news.” The problems then fester until they are no longer able to be concealed.
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