“Transparency” is thrown around a lot as a self-evident positive quality. There are even laws named after it (California Pay Transparency Act of 2023, for example.)
But I don’t like what it actually implies.
Transparency implies that you can “see through” something, or someone.
But as people, and especially as leaders, we are not see-through.
We have agency; autonomy; responsibility.
Transparency is passive. It’s about data, information, the world “as it is.” It de-emphasizes our role in it, our ability to change it, our moral agency.
I much prefer HONESTY.
Honesty is active, nuanced.
Honesty is not see-through; it’s see-truth.
Honesty can have strategy, timing, self-reflection. Honesty requires integrity, maturity — not just data.
We don’t want you to just be transparent that you pay women less than men.
We want you to be HONEST about it.
See the difference?
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Be honest — not just transparent.
It’s a higher moral bar.
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