How do Effective Leaders and Winning Teammates create psychological safety and create an expectation of BOTH TRUST and CONFIDENTIALITY – at the same time?
Well, transparency doesn’t mean you have to share everything you know.
Some things are inappropriate to share – whether it involves personal information about a colleague or sensitive information about organizational strategic plans.
In many of my team building programs, I share that “TRUST is a three-legged stool.”
As an effective leader, you build trust with your commitment to sharing what you can to help your people feel valuable and included – while also withholding information that you have agreed to – is a necessary skill if you are going to lead a team of any size for any length of time.
Be clear that you can’t promise confidentiality to direct reports
First, be clear that a manager or leader can never offer confidentiality to their direct reports or people that they are responsible for supervising. This is because the manager may at some point be required to share that information because your first obligation is to the health and success of the organization.
Your role gives you professional power and duty over other positions – and as the face of the organization to the people you manage and lead you do not want to promise confidentiality to someone that might place you in a conflicted position.
Even as someone who adopts a “servant leader” mindset, your role is in service to the company first, rather than to the employees you are leading.
It would be a neglect of your responsibility to the organization if you promise blanket immunity to information that the person may choose to share… and keeping a secret may often violate your obligation to the organization that you serve.
So, when an employee says, “Hey, I’d like to share something with you off the record” – your appropriate professional response is not silence, but to comment that “nothing in our conversations can be considered off the record, based on my professional obligations. I STILL hope you will feel you can be open with me, but I can’t guarantee confidentiality.”
You may find that they still share the information –
But it is important to clarify that there is NO expectation of privacy…
Establish an expectation of confidentiality in meetings:
When you hold meetings, ask folks not to attribute what particular individuals said in the meeting afterward. If they want to share something about the meeting with those who were not in attendance, ask them to keep the comments vague, and to share a general summary without pointing any fingers at particular individuals.
Your Team Meetings are where you will hopefully be inviting contributions and candidness – you don’t want people to bite their tongues because they are afraid of how their opinions might be construed by others outside the context of those meeting conversations.
As you encourage your people to share their input, be careful not to punish them in any way after the fact if you don’t agree with their suggestions or point of view.
You want to put your people at ease to be creative, open, and honest.
Open your meetings by reminding everyone in attendance:
“So, just to remind everyone, what is shared within the meeting should be kept confidential until a decision is made or a plan is confirmed that leadership has agreed is appropriate to share with the entire organization.”
Breaking meeting confidentiality weakens trust and promotes fear and bad feelings – and less candid and productive meetings in the future if your team doesn’t have the clear expectation of psychological safety.
Establish confidentiality for information in your emails:
When communicating confidential information in an email, it’s crucial to clearly identify it as such and use appropriate language with a professional tone.
Here are a few helpful places where you can communicate this effectively:
1-Subject Line
Make it clear from the subject line that the content of the email is confidential.
Consider using a phrase like this in the subject line:
“Confidential Information: [Subject]”
2-Opening of the Email
Always start your email by acknowledging the request of confidentiality.
Consider sharing something like this: :
“Dear _____ I hope this email finds you well. I’m writing about a confidential matter regarding [subject]. Please treat this information as highly sensitive…”
3-in your closing remarks
Conclude your email with one final gentle reminder of the information’s confidential nature.
Consider including a sentence at the end of your message like this:
“I trust that you will treat this information as strictly confidential.”
Crafting confidentiality requests in emails is easy with these tips…
Clear and concise wording, both formal and informal, ensures everyone’s on the same page. The key is to be clear and upfront about information that needs to stay confidential, while keeping your tone professional and friendly.
Communicate confidential obligations to team members:
As a leader in your organization, mastering the balance between trust and confidentiality is crucial. Creating an environment where your team feels safe to approach you with any issue while maintaining the integrity of sensitive information is a vital leadership skill.
You can achieve both by being transparent from the Start…
Don’t wait for a confidentiality issue to arise before addressing it.
Be proactive in explaining what types of information are considered confidential and why.
Explain in your 1-on-1 conversations that “confidentiality is something that we value highly as an organization – and while I have an obligation to share sensitive information with my superiors, I want you to feel comfortable that I would not share it with others.”
This upfront communication builds trust by showing respect for your team’s privacy and aligning with the company’s values.
Assure your team that personal or performance issues requiring confidentiality will be handled discreetly, and that you will honor your commitment to upholding it.
Use Phrases that Foster Trust and Confidentiality, such as these:
When you are asked about something that you are unable to share:
“With apologies, that isn’t something I am able to discuss at this point…”
Let your team know that while some details must remain confidential, you are dedicated to transparent communication. Ensure them that any performance concerns will be communicated directly, providing a clear path for improvement and eliminating the fear of hidden evaluations.
You could also say:
“I understand your curiosity, but that information is confidential.
However, I can share that [insert relevant, non-confidential detail].”
This approach maintains confidentiality while offering clarity to reduce uncertainty.
Acknowledge that some situations require confidentiality and that while you may not share all details, you are committed to supporting them. This demonstrates empathy and your willingness to find solutions within the constraints of confidentiality.
Clarity Combats Uncertainty and Builds TRUST!
Lack of information can lead to rumors and anxiety.
By establishing clear expectations and employing these communication techniques, you create a team environment where trust and confidentiality coexist.
Your team will feel secure in bringing issues to you, knowing their privacy is respected and that you are there to support them. This balance is essential for fostering a healthy team culture.
Want to learn how to transform YOUR organization’s culture and enjoy more trust, engagement, and accountability? Consider the impact of a team culture VIP Day with Sean!
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Sean Glaze is a leadership speaker, teambuilding facilitator, and author who delivers engaging experiences that
ignite your team’s performance. Sean has worked with clients like Cisco, John Deere, the CDC, and Emory University to increase collaboration, boost productivity, and build more positive and profitable workplace cultures.
As a successful basketball coach, Sean gained valuable insights on turning talent into teamwork – and now he travels around the country to share those lessons. Sean’s conference keynotes and custom team building events deliver laugh-out-loud moments and memorable take-aways that transform your people into winning teammates and more effective leaders.
Sean’s books, Rapid Teamwork, The 10 Commandments of Winning Teammates, and Staying Coachable are entertaining parables that help accelerate the growth of leaders and their teams!