At Mahisoft we continue to evolve towards radical truth radical transparency.
Human beings tend to avoid discussing our weaknesses and errors; and instead, we prefer to dwell on what we do know how to do and have done (our strengths). This happens in many areas: interviews, relationships, work groups/teams, among others. It simply seems more comfortable for us to focus on the good aspects rather than the bad ones, even if doing precisely the opposite would be more beneficial.
We also have many beliefs and prejudices that aren’t necessarily true, and we tend to evaluate things based on these prejudices. We often fall into what psychologists call confirmation bias: the tendency to focus on the evidence that confirms our beliefs and assumptions, rather than on proof that contradicts them. Being transparent about our prejudices and doing something to transform them into something positive, could encourage open and sincere conversations, where people challenge each other in search of the right solution, instead of trying to prove who’s right in a specific topic.
This kind of sincerity and transparency has proven to be useful in many situations, including the Organizational context, which is the one that matters the most right now.
In Mahisoft, we continue evolving towards a culture of Radical Truth and Radical Transparency. Through this way of relating ourselves to each other, we seek to keep fostering a culture in which people know that it’s important to speak up about disagreements regularly, to challenge other points of view, regardless of their position/hierarchy, and to always achieve an agreement. This approach works if we continue to discuss our ideas and problems openly, even if that implies publicly pointing out the mistakes of others, always in an environment of respect.
So what does it really mean for the pillars of our culture to be Radical Truth, Radical Transparency?
Simply put, it means that everyone can keep expressing our disagreements, reflect on them and exchange ideas without creating lasting conflicts (even when the ideas are controversial) and always get to a solution in the end.
In concrete actions, how can we continue to put this into practice?
In our attitude:
- Be open to improve, learn to tolerate frustration.
- Have courage and say when we don’t agree with something.
- Be curious.
- Learn something new every day.
- Ask the right person when we want information.
- Have fun while we work.
- Being aware of what triggers our emotions in the face of reason.
In our way of communicating with others:
- Always speak with the truth about how the business is going and the performance of everyone.
- Say what we think (even if it’s controversial) and respect opinions different than our own.
- Say the truth about identified problems or issues, and talk about them face to face at that moment.
- Don’t talk about anyone behind their back. Always say things upfront.
- Talk to each other directly with whoever is necessary, avoid spokespersons or messengers.
- Share information openly.
In our attitude towards mistakes:
- We must fundamentally change our way of seeing errors. We all make mistakes and the most important thing is to learn from them to not repeat them.
- Openly admit the mistakes we make.
- Document mistakes to not make them again.
- Speak up about problems and disagreements, and talk openly about them in an environment of respect and to solve them.
In how we relate with each other:
- Build up meaningful relationships.
- Take care of each other (Tough-Love).
- Challenge each other, where the confrontation must always be constructive.
- Collaborate with one another.
- Don’t compete.
- Constantly give feedback (Start doing…, Stop doing…, Continue doing…).
To conclude, we are convinced that a culture where Radical Truth, Radical Transparency prevails, generates trust, stops hidden agendas, and, without a doubt, increases collaboration among everyone.
In Mahisoft we don’t want people to talk behind their backs; on the contrary, we should focus on continuing to build meaningful relationships, that add positive things to everyone and make decisions based on concrete facts, not assumptions.
We invite you to be a part of this evolution. If all of us start and/or continue the previously mentioned behaviors, we will surely reduce the time to become 100% Radical Truth, Radical Transparency.
