Keep no secrets.
Secrets, secrets, truly are no fun.
In fact, they take away from the great work that goes on in
our communities, as they lead people to be less trusting of everyone else
around them.
As leaders, we should look to abolish secrets. The old adage about the best kept secret?
It’s that we should never keep any.
Sometimes we’re told things in confidence, and for a myriad
of reasons we can’t speak about them.
This might be because they involve sensitive information about a
student, faculty member, parent, etc.
Or, it could simply be because we don’t yet have enough data to know the
true nature of a scenario. In these
cases, there isn’t much we can do beyond releasing the information as soon as
we can, or as soon as we know it is validated.
But, when secrets are intentionally held, when we hold onto
information when we really should be releasing it, that’s when we have a
problem.
The best way to avoid a scenario where people begin to
believe there is always something hidden is to make sure you share all the information
you can, and if you aren’t sure of the factual nature of the information, let
people know.
While those we serve would rather hear good news than bad,
they would also rather hear news from us, rather than from another source.
So make part of your mantra the removal of secrets. An open community is a trusting community.
And that trust is what we need to help everyone keep getting
better.
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