The phrase “Above Board” has long been associated with transparency and integrity – that nothing is shady or being hidden for corrupt purposes or selfish gain. This term is anchored in marine tradition and practice. When crews were to have their ships inspected or if they had a business deal, they would put out everything on the deck or in plain sight as a gesture of good faith or so business could be conducted easily or so they could be inspected.
Captains and crews who wanted to hide cargo or hide things of value would keep those things strategically hidden in the recesses of the ship.
Above Board in common lingo and in sailing lore refers to things that are set out in plain sight, not hidden out of sight.
The metaphor is so ingrained in our culture as it relates to integrity and maintaining openness that I will go a little bit different direction as far as a modern day application. If you have functioned in any organization then likely you have seen “closed door” meetings as well as “open door” meetings. By open meetings I don’t mean that anyone can walk in off the street and join your meeting. It means you give people access to what really is happening over the course of setting direction and making decisions. Closed door meetings is when only the select few have access. I like the “Above Board” metaphor because I think it relates really well to how leadership teams seek to control their image by taking refuge in privacy.
Certain things are often put out “on the deck” to project a spirit of openness and to build trust and confidence. But often others can get a feel for whether everything’s “Above Board” or if there’s secret cargo below that is not being talked about. Leaders and teams who try to hide cargo can fool some people, but not their best people.Hiding cargo doesn’t mean necessarily corrupt activity. I think the danger I see is that teams and leaders can try to control their image so much that they keep all the real substance to their decisions and their presence to themselves. The stuff that is put out on deck is only that which is polished and organized. But here’s a couple things that teams can do to keep things Above Board and build trust and accountability rather than a culture of image management and organizational control.
- Let team members speak with independent voices at times. Sometimes team members have to be in a position to be able to be held accountable. There frequently is a “one voice” policy out there, which I believe from a communication standpoint is typically good as it relates to direction and whatnot. But sometimes “one voice” becomes something that leadership teams can hide behind because it’s hard to hold individuals accountable when only “team” things are put out on the deck. Be unified. But be accountable too. Let people own their decisions and take responsibility for them.
- Be intentional to put things out on the deck that are incomplete or unfinished. Leaders who like “secret” meetings where they are solving the worlds problems often don’t like to let people know about process or the real issues and tensions that come up over the course of significant decisions. They just work them all out behind closed doors and then come out and present a nice looking finished product. But this usually dismisses context. People trust you more when they can see the context and backdrop of where the decision or end result came from. Just looking at the final product doesn’t typically allow people to appreciate the full scope or context that makes such a decision or product appreciated. Ironically, by trying to control you can lose control as people lose trust because they don’t have access to the leadership struggle below the deck. They don’t need to know all the business, but real is better than fake. You can end up with a good or necessary leadership decision and still be fake doing it.
- Invite an inspection below the deck. Choose to be open, vulnerable, and transparent out of a commitment to building trust and empowering others. Let followers and other leaders check you and your team out a bit to learn about what makes you tic and whether you are trustworthy or not. If you are not trustworthy, it would make since why you try to hide. Reality will be exposed. If you are trustworthy, then you only reinforce that by giving people access and you open yourself up for continued learning.
Keeping things “Above Board” is about honesty, trust, and fostering partnerships. Sneaky efforts to hide cargo or disguise unsavory or unfinished things erodes trust and undermines empowerment.
Where do you think leaders need to keep things “Above Board?” What types of things do you think most frequently are hidden away under the deck?
Click the category link “Leading on the Seas” in the right hand column to see more in this series of posts. These posts are part of a larger leadership development project I’m working on so please feel free to add your thoughts and perspectives!
