Why Open and Honest Communication is Vital for Success

The number one reason employees disengage isn't poor pay, limited career progression, or lack of perks. It's poor communication.

When people feel left in the dark, they fill the gaps with assumptions—and those assumptions are rarely positive. When leaders aren't honest, trust evaporates. When communication is patchy, inconsistent, or non-existent, engagement collapses.

Yet most businesses treat communication as an afterthought. They announce big decisions with vague all-hands emails. They avoid difficult conversations. They say "we'll keep you updated" and then go silent for months.

And then they wonder why their engagement scores are tanking.

What Open and Honest Communication Actually Means

Let's be clear: open communication doesn't mean sharing everything. There are legitimate reasons to keep some information confidential—commercial sensitivity, legal restrictions, timing.

But open and honest communication does mean:

Transparency by default. Share what you can, when you can. If you can't share something, explain why.

Honesty about challenges. Don't sugarcoat problems or pretend everything's fine when it's not. People aren't stupid—they know when you're spinning.

Two-way dialogue. Communication isn't broadcasting. It's listening, responding, and making space for questions and feedback.

Consistency. Don't just communicate when things are going well or when there's a crisis. Regular, predictable communication builds trust.

Clarity. Say what you mean. Avoid jargon, corporate speak, and vague reassurances that mean nothing.

Why Poor Communication Destroys Engagement

When communication breaks down, here's what happens:

Trust dies. If leaders aren't honest, people assume the worst. Rumors spread. Cynicism grows. Once trust is gone, everything else falls apart.

Uncertainty breeds anxiety. People need to understand what's happening and how it affects them. Silence creates fear, and fear kills productivity.

People feel invisible. When leaders don't communicate, employees feel like their concerns don't matter. Disengagement follows.

Mistakes multiply. Without clear communication, people make assumptions, work at cross-purposes, and waste time fixing avoidable problems.

Good people leave. High performers won't stick around in an environment where they feel uninformed, undervalued, or misled.

The Business Case for Great Communication

Let's talk outcomes, because communication drives results:

Engagement increases. Employees who feel informed and heard are far more engaged. Engaged employees are more productive, more innovative, and more committed.

Performance improves. Clear communication means people understand priorities, expectations, and how their work contributes. That clarity drives performance.

Retention strengthens. People don't leave companies where they feel connected and informed. Poor communication is a retention killer.

Change succeeds. Whether you're restructuring, launching a new strategy, or shifting culture, change only works if communication is strong.

Culture thrives. Open, honest communication builds psychological safety—the foundation of high-performing teams.

What Good Communication Looks Like in Practice

Here's how the best leaders communicate:

They're proactive. They don't wait for people to ask. They share information regularly—updates on strategy, performance, challenges, wins.

They're accessible. They create space for questions, feedback, and concerns. Town halls, team meetings, skip-levels, open office hours—whatever works.

They're honest about uncertainty. They don't pretend to have all the answers. "I don't know yet, but here's what we're working on" is a perfectly acceptable response.

They listen more than they talk. They ask questions, seek input, and genuinely consider feedback—even when it's uncomfortable.

They follow through. If they say they'll communicate about something, they do. If they commit to action based on feedback, they deliver. Broken promises destroy trust faster than silence.

They adapt their approach. Different people need information in different ways. Some want detail, others want headlines. Good communicators tailor their approach.

Common Communication Mistakes Leaders Make

Even well-intentioned leaders get communication wrong. Here are the biggest mistakes:

Communicating once and assuming it's enough. People need to hear messages multiple times, in multiple ways, before they truly land.

Using corporate jargon. If your team needs a dictionary to understand your update, you've failed.

Avoiding difficult conversations. Silence doesn't make hard topics go away. It makes them worse.

Only communicating good news. If you only show up when things are great, people won't trust you when things aren't.

Broadcasting without listening. Communication is a dialogue, not a monologue. If you're not creating space for feedback, you're not really communicating.

Being inconsistent. Weekly updates that turn into monthly updates that disappear entirely erode trust. Consistency matters.

Building a Culture of Open Communication

Strong communication doesn't happen by accident. It requires intention and discipline:

Make communication a leadership priority. If leaders don't model open, honest communication, no one else will.

Create regular communication rhythms. Weekly team updates, monthly all-hands, quarterly strategy reviews—whatever fits your business. The key is consistency.

Train your managers. Many managers struggle with communication because they've never been taught. Invest in developing their skills.

Ask for feedback—and act on it. Run pulse surveys, hold listening sessions, create anonymous channels. But only if you're prepared to respond. Asking for feedback and ignoring it is worse than not asking at all.

Celebrate openness. Recognize people who ask difficult questions, challenge assumptions, and speak up. Make it clear that honest dialogue is valued, not punished.

When Communication Breaks Down

If trust has eroded and communication has collapsed, rebuilding takes time. But it is possible:

Acknowledge the problem. Don't pretend everything's fine. Name the issue and commit to fixing it.

Increase transparency. Start sharing more, more often, more honestly. Even small steps matter.

Listen actively. Create space for people to voice concerns, frustrations, and ideas. And actually hear them.

Follow through on commitments. If you say you'll communicate better, do it. Consistently. Over time. Trust is rebuilt through action, not promises.

The Bottom Line

Open and honest communication isn't a soft skill. It's a strategic imperative.

Engaged employees drive performance. Performance drives growth. Growth requires trust. And trust is built—or destroyed—through communication.

If you want your people to be engaged, informed, and committed, start with communication. Not the corporate, polished, sanitized version. The real kind. The honest kind. The kind that treats people like adults who deserve to know what's happening.

Your team can handle the truth. What they can't handle is being left in the dark.

Struggling with employee engagement or communication challenges? Fletcher Oakmont helps scale-ups build cultures of open, honest communication that drive performance. Click on the contact page to discuss how we can help.