Is Some Transparency Too Much to Ask?
Is Some Transparency Too Much to Ask?
A royal screw-up
“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” — Thomas Jefferson
The Royal Family of the United Kingdom has long held the fascination of the public.
In modern times in particular, with the addition of Princess Diana, a good deal of the public has been fixated on the comings and goings of the royals. Just look at the viewing numbers of The Crown on Netflix.
In some ways, the public spectacle — the thrusting and parrying with the media — has been part of the deal that this publicly-supported family has undertaken. They understand that they owe something to their subjects in return for living off of them.
But the recent photo debacle with the Princess of Wales has led to an unraveling of this delicate relationship. The lack of transparency has resulted in wild speculation about her condition.
In January, she went in for what the Royal Family called “abdominal surgery.” This could mean a wide variety of conditions and procedures, and when asked for more specifics, they refused to give any.
Then, over the weekend Princess Kate shared a family photo that astute watchers determined was photoshopped. The Associated Press pulled the photo because it didn’t meet their standards, causing more attention.
The Princess’ admission that she edited the photo herself using “amateur photo editing practices,” combined with the previous opacity around her condition, left many questioning the truth and critical of the Royal Family. For good reason.
What began as an outpouring of concern over her condition has turned into a web of conspiracy theories.
All because of a lack of transparency.
Often, executives are terrified of transparency. As if demystifying something will be a moment like the Wizard of Oz being exposed as the man behind the curtain.
When I coach executives, I remind them that no one is asking for a secret formula or a patented process. Sometimes we just want reassurance.
The recent five-page report on the President Biden’s health (something to be reasonably concerned about for an octogenarian) is a far cry from the generalized and unbelievable statements we saw from a previous administration.
In the age of AI-generated images, deepfakes, and more uncertainty, people naturally turn to conspiracy theories to calm their fevered brains. As ludicrous as some of them sound, there is always a contingent of the public who believes them.
When we combine that kindling with the match of social media (not to mention that Twitter is run by one of the leading doubt-sowing conspiracy theory-spreaders out there), we get a conflagration in which trust is burned to the ground.
Let’s be clear: complete transparency — of the government or of businesses — generally doesn’t serve anyone well. But done strategically and appropriately, particularly in response to voiced concerns, can leave the public better informed and more trusting as a result.
Sometimes, just the gesture of providing transparency, rather than the transparency itself, is enough to inspire confidence.
There’s so much to learn,
