Transparency: Bringing more Trust to Leadership by Kristen

Kristen's entry into Varsity Tutor's December 2021 scholarship contest

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Transparency: Bringing more Trust to Leadership by Kristen - December 2021 Scholarship Essay

There are thousands upon thousands of leaders, some are well-known throughout the world. Others, however, are hidden in the shadows, content in sitting in the background. Whether or not they throw themselves out into the limelight or not is not what determines the effectiveness of a leader. There are plenty of strategies or traits that determine the efficacy of leadership. Transparency is a trait that is very beneficial in a leader for relating to the people, as well as showing they have nothing to hide, thus building trust and respect.
Transparency is hard to find in today’s world due to the fact that many people find it embarrassing or feel vulnerable when they share their stories or beliefs. Therefore, when a leader does make himself vulnerable and is transparent about their feelings, opinions, or experiences, they gain respect from those they are leading. Craig Groeschel, the pastor of Life Church, is a very successful and influential person. His church is massive and grows rapidly. If asked why they like Pastor Craig, many members of the church will respond with his honesty and transparency. Every embarrassing moment and vulnerability that he reveals just builds on the respect he earns from his audience, not only because he is brave enough to expose himself, but because he is then relatable. Many leaders only show the successes they have and the perfect parts of their lives, leaving their viewers unable to relate to them. People are more likely to follow a person that they see as more similar to them.
Everyone has seen those shows where the leader betrays his teammates to their enemies in order to serve his own selfish purposes. People naturally question the intent of their leaders, especially with all the scandals and betrayals posted online for everyone to see. Transparency shows the people that their leaders have nothing to hide, that their intentions are for the benefit of the people, and not for their personal gain. This is true, especially with children. Parents are there to lead their children in the direction of success in their future. Children understand what their parents' intentions are when it is explained to them why their father or mother did what they did rather than just forcing them or keeping them from doing something. People are always searching for the why. Scientists find the why to a large variety of questions like why do things fall? Why is the sky blue? It is the same with leaders. People want to know why their leaders chose to do what they did.
Being a leader is like a parent trying to balance the wants of everyone on movie night. No one wants to watch the same thing. Leaders have to balance the wants of the people as well as what needs to be done. In order to be the most effective leader, there needs to be a fair amount of transparency to be relatable to the people and build the trust of the people.

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