A leader’s ability to communicate is fundamental to building trust and forming a cohesive team. Transparency has become a necessary element of team support. It may be scary to share everything, but the benefits are undeniable.

As I was walking back from the gym one morning, I passed by the local boutique food store and noticed the manager standing in the middle of a circle, with all of her staff around her. It looked like every employee was present. I had noticed her doing this several times before. Curious, I waited for the store to open and went in to talk to her. “I see you every day having these meetings before you open,” I said.“ What’s that all about?”

“Look, we have about 25 people working here, and we’re open 14 hours a day,” she began. “There’s always something going on, good, bad, or otherwise. I need them to know everything I know—what’s new, what’s missing, what specials we’re offering, and so on. I then ask them what they think, or about anything that happened yesterday that we need to know. It’s just a quick session so that everyone is on the same page. It takes under 10 minutes, and I couldn’t imagine running this place without it.”

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