Honesty and Transparency are the Basics We Expect from Leaders: Expert Says

When we are in times of crisis, we look to our leaders nationally, statewide and locally to provide us with guidance on how we will make it through the crisis and arrive safely on the other side. At the foundation of what we expect from leadership is honesty and transparency, says Beverly Jones, an author, career consultant and executive coach. Jones has been an attorney, lobbyist, corporate executive, trainer and career specialist as well as authoring the book, “Think Like an Entrepreneur and Act Like a CEO. Also, she is the host of WOUB’s Jazzed About Work podcast. Jones notes that “positivity” is also at the top of the list of what we admire in leaders – not the overly optimistic type of positivity but the kind that gives confidence that we will get through this crisis and get through it together. We also want our leaders to care about us, to have empathy and compassion—to be responsive to the broader needs of citizens or, at least, show concern about people’s pain and fears. We hate arrogance from our leaders in the time of crisis. Jones claims that we also want our leaders to be collaborative in developing positions to meet a crisis. Bringing a team of top experts together and listening to their expertise is critical. A leader must be decisive yet flexible enough to adapt to changing situations, she adds. She cites Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and others as examples of leaders who have communicated honestly and often with constituents during the COVID-19 pandemic. People rely on his daily press briefings which include the experts he is consulting. They display to the citizens of Ohio that there is leadership and a team approach to trying to keep the citizenry safe, Jones says. She also cites Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institutes of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, as a good example of honest and trustworthy leadership in the midst of our current crisis.