我们如何让团队变得更真实和透明？

In my previous essay, “The More Candid and Transparent a Team Is, the More Efficient It Becomes,” I wrote that creating an environment of radical candor and transparency can greatly improve a team's efficiency.

When problems at work can be discussed openly, team members can learn from one another, explore ideas together, and jointly pursue excellence. In doing so, they can build meaningful relationships.

So how can we make a team more candid and transparent?

Over fifteen years of building a business, our company has consistently worked to create this kind of culture. Here are some lessons from our experience.

Culture is the foundation that shapes how a team behaves. But putting a set of values on the wall achieves little on its own. What matters is whether those values become shared convictions and are reflected in everyone's actions.

Behavior is inevitably shaped by example. A company's founder or a team's leader usually has the greatest influence on the team, so they must be the first to practice candor and transparency.

In practical terms, leaders need to keep an open mind, explore different possibilities with the team, and approach new ideas and developments with acceptance and a willingness to learn. Team members should feel safe expressing their views rather than fearing that doing so will put them at risk.

Leaders must also be willing to face problems directly, without avoidance, embellishment, or concealment, and communicate candidly. They should share information and insights without reservation.

When leaders are sufficiently open and honest, their candor and transparency become naturally contagious. Their example encourages the entire team to follow the same path.

The desire for sincerity lies deep in human nature. Complex environments often suppress it, but that does not mean people truly want to wear masks or play social games. When the environment feels safe and open, most people are willing to show their authentic selves.

Of course, people differ in their values and personalities, so hiring the right people is crucial. Someone whose core values do not align with the team's culture is not a good fit for that team.

Personality differences are another matter. Some people communicate indirectly and politely, taking time to arrive at what they really mean, while others get straight to the point. As long as the aim is to solve problems constructively, differences in style have little effect on the team's culture.

Here are some practices we use in our day-to-day work:

1. Set clear goals, raise questions proactively, and seek better solutions.

1. Actively invite colleagues to share their views, listen patiently, and show appreciation for good suggestions.

1. Write a weekly report to share information, insights, and reflections with the team.

1. Raise topics and viewpoints in the weekly meeting and gather everyone's ideas and suggestions.

1. Hold retrospective meetings to distill lessons learned and discuss what went well and what needs improvement.

1. Take the initiative to express gratitude during team activities or in informal settings.

1. Have lunch with colleagues from different teams, talk about work and everyday life, and get to know one another better.

1. Read colleagues' weekly reports and summaries carefully, and care about their ideas, difficulties, and growth.

1. Apart from a small number of confidential documents, make work files and meeting notes as open as possible.

1. Organize open conversations that give team members opportunities to speak from the heart and understand one another better.

1. Build a culture of continuous learning and improvement. As long as we aspire to make progress, every problem is an opportunity.

There is no road to sincerity; sincerity itself is the road. Only sincerity can be met with sincerity, and only transparency can build trust.

When everyone on a team treats one another honestly and faces problems directly, the team naturally becomes more candid and transparent—and trust and efficiency follow.