{"id":2353,"date":"2018-07-20T16:10:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-18T16:10:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=2353"},"modified":"2023-10-18T17:35:43","modified_gmt":"2023-10-18T17:35:43","slug":"smb-owners-use-transparency-develop-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/ca\/blog\/smb-owners-use-transparency-develop-team\/","title":{"rendered":"How SMB Owners Can Use Transparency To Develop Their Entire Team"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\u201cAnd if you need anything, my door is always open.\u201d<\/p>\n

Great bosses (or those who want to be great bosses) will often say something like this to new hires, who may or may not take them up on it. Depending on the actual culture of an organization \u2013 if they get penalized for even simple mistakes, for instance, or aren\u2019t encouraged to experiment and take risks \u2013 employees might conclude that what the boss doesn\u2019t know won\u2019t hurt him (or them).<\/p>\n

Even in a more healthy work environment, the open door policy of senior leaders might still seem like more of a one-way conversation. Staff might see walking into the boss\u2019 office as a time to reveal what\u2019s going on in their day, with little insight back about how the boss is working through their own challenges. There\u2019s also only so much time a boss can spend sitting around waiting for a team member to walk through that open door. They\u2019re most likely also dealing with customer issues, suppliers and various other stakeholders that will take them far beyond the office on any given day.<\/p>\n

Strong communication and insight from the top is helpful in any kind of company, but it may be particularly important within small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs). Those who are trying to lead and grow an SMB can only wear so many hats, and they need to train and develop those around them to take on more responsibility and accountability for everything from sales to customer service. On the flip side, life at an SMB is often so fast-paced that it’s unlikely the majority of employees will be able to \u201cjob shadow\u201d the boss and see for themselves what it takes to think through some of the most critical business decisions.<\/p>\n

Promising to keep your door open, however, should be seen as more of a metaphor for the kind of openness and transparency great leaders want to bring to their organization. They\u2019re trying to suggest that employees collaborate with them wherever necessary. They may be willing to offer a glimpse into the SMB\u2019s bigger picture, even if employees don\u2019t have the courage to ask the deep questions.<\/p>\n

When companies talk about the idea of transparency externally, they\u2019re usually making a commitment to being more communicative about the way they make their products, their policies and other things that might change the way their customers think of them. Starting with a move towards greater transparency internally, however, may lay the groundwork for better productivity, collaboration and ultimately better results for an SMB. Bringing that same kind of transparency to the outside world will then reflect the early efforts the boss decided to make.<\/p>\n

How do you balance between being more transparent and not losing time that you need to focus on the business itself, you ask? Read on \u2013 it\u2019s not as hard as it might sound.<\/p>\n

Turn Your Content Consumption Habits Inside-Out<\/h2>\n

Besides the public-facing blogs that many companies (like this one) publish to customers and prospects, many organizations created internal, employee-oriented blogs where the CEO or other senior leaders provide high-level guidance and updates. This was, in many ways, just a digital evolution of the manager memos that were once printed on paper and dropped off in employee\u2019s mailboxes. The biggest challenge for \u201cboss bloggers\u201d is coming up with something to write about.<\/p>\n

SMB owners can start a journey towards greater transparency by simply passing along the wisdom they\u2019re gaining from all the various sources they turn to for education and inspiration. Here are some examples you could draw upon every week:<\/p>\n