Radical Transparency: Widely Discussed, Rarely Executed

Posted by Greg Bond

August 22, 2008

So I’ve been thinking a lot about my last blog post. Reasons to delete it, or not. I say to myself, “Greg, this is one of those things people can look at and frown down upon in the future.” At the same time, I feel like there is a rawness to it. Something real. If people see a bad word, or that I staunchly disagree with them on their core beliefs, and judge me on it, cool. I’m judging them right back.

Marketing, and companies themselves, have this problem. The problem is their fear to alienate anyone. Me? I have no problem alienating people at all. As a matter of fact, I’ve been told by many people that I’m an intense person to meet. Soon after first contact, I chill out. My closest friends think it is an unconscious test of sorts. If someone thinks I’m weird, or I sense their discomfort, I tune them out, or even pique on them. It’s my way of finding new friends I know are laid back and can handle whatever is thrown at them. I don’t see why businesses should be any different.

If a company is afraid to lose people, it is trying too hard to be nice, and to cater to everyone. This means, your appeal is decreased amongst your core target audience. One of my marketing professors used to reiterate, “It is better to be loved by few and hated by many, than liked by all.” I don’t know if he originally coined that, but it’s true.

Think of it this way, have you ever tried to pursue multiple dates at once, and have been afraid to lose them? No. Well, there is a reason for that. Most of us don’t want to be in a polygamous relationship. One partner is more than enough. You have to build the relationship, devote large amounts of time, and learn to trust one another. Same goes for your customers. If you know who you want, pursue them the hardest, and forget the rest.

While it isn’t necessary to tell your partner absolutely everything, they would prefer the most real side you can show, your emotions, your thoughts, the whole kitten kaboodle. It isn’t necessary to disclose these more private aspects to everyone, obviously! But if someone is trying to find out who you are, what is the point of faking it?

The biggest thing that holds people back from being transparent is their insecurities of alienating or being alienated. Instead of letting fear dictate what is disclosed, use that energy to instead seek out more like-minded people. Everyone has their niche, you just need to find it.