As a people manager, one of your responsibilities is to speak officially on behalf of the company to your team members, and vice versa. Your role is often to be not a recipient of information, but a channel of information. You often learn things specifically so that you can pass them on to others.
✅ Your team’s goals and objectives should be as clear as possible, including how their work affects the goals of peer teams and the organization as a whole
✅ Your team should generally know about upcoming decisions, changes, and challenges that will likely affect them and their work. (There are exceptions.)
✅ Your team members should receive honest and timely feedback. As Brené Brown says, “Clear is kind; unclear is unkind.” They should never be surprised by their numeric rating at an annual or semi-annual review.
But an ideal manager will also know when to become a shield.
❌ A respectful and inclusive work environment often means preserving confidentiality. Sharing a team member’s personal details or struggles can destroy trust.
❌ Certain confidential information may need to be kept from employees to protect them and the company from legal dangers. This can be especially true when the company is publicly traded.
❌ When shared too early, upcoming decisions, changes, and challenges can become a frustrating and fearful distraction.
Conscientious managers will always feel the tension between transparency and shielding. Neither one is always the right answer. Just make the best decision you know how to make, remembering that there’s a time for both, and learn from the results of your decisions.
If you’re relatively new at managing and you just want someone safe to talk to about your challenges, I’d love to connect. Visit https://stevedwire.com/connect to schedule a no-cost, no-obligation, private conversation to help you move forward with your new management responsibilities.
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