Are incompetence or lacking confidence synonyms for transparency? Do you view someone who is transparent as weak and not up to the task? Or do you value transparency in others?In the past I have had interesting 'discussions' (more like, "How could you write that where people can read it?") because of things that I have written or said. Namely, a post that I wrote a few years ago at the end of a school year about feeling like I failed. My colleague could not get past the fact that I admitted that I think I may have been able to do better. He kept saying, "What if one of your parents sees that post?" "What is your administrators see that post?"
I'll often get looks from passers-by when I admit to my students that I made a mistake. The looks on students' faces at the beginning of the year when I say I made a mistake are priceless. They act as they have never have heard "my bad" from a teacher before.
In others, I value humility. I value someone who is not afraid to take a shot, and will claim responsibility for missing. I value when someone is self-reflective and is not afraid (or too wrapped up in being 'right') to admit a mistake. The people with these qualities are the leaders I choose to follow. These are the qualities I try live and pass on to my students each day.
So, what do you think? Is transparency a weakness? Or is being 'right all of the time' not all its cracked up to be?
