There is a lot of talk about transparency in the workplace. An article I had published in Fast Company (click here) last week looks at this from a new angle. It’s not about sharing more numbers, the direction of the company, how raises are determined, etc. My article challenges us to share what we are learning and what we need to learn to do our best work. The professional development process encourages us to do this, but it’s usually not robust enough.
Professional development conversations often happen at intervals several months apart, are formal, with managers who have very little training. My approach encourages a teaching/learning model that is integrated into the organization. The result is a company culture where debriefing (evaluation of processes and outcomes) is happening daily in an environment where teaching and learning are the norm.
For this model to be effective, everyone (most importantly the CEO!) must be involved. This type of transparency, where everyone knows what you are working to improve and why creates an atmosphere where people are not trying to prove themselves, but improve themselves.