The Importance of Transparency in Performance Metrics

This is Killing Your Credibility Recently, a senior level EHS professional reached out to me. Someone with decades of results. Trusted by workers and executives alike. They were frustrated… “One of our new senior leaders shared in a meeting with their leadership team recently that a world-class TRIR = 0.3-0.5. Where do you think they got that information?” That’s a really important question. Let’s explore… 🔹In the 90s, consulting firms and benchmarking tables began circulating TRIR averages by industry 🔸“World-class” became a marketing term, not a technical one. EHS consultants touted “if you’re below 1.0, you’re world-class” to sell safety management systems 🔹Over time, elite manufacturers bragged about 0.3–0.5 TRIR, which became the new vanity metric In pockets, but still very much existing today: If your TRIR is in the top 10% of your industry, consultants and senior leaders label you “world-class.” Example: Manufacturing average ~3.0 TRIR. 10x better would = 0.3. Here’s the problem: This is Executive Signaling. Not science. Low numbers look great on slides. But tell you little to nothing about how “safe” your operations are. It rewards silence. Not safety. When credibility and upward mobility depend on a .3 TRIR, injuries disappear. Not because work is safer, but because people stop reporting (and companies get really good at “case managing”) It drives the wrong conversations. When leaders obsess over recordable rates, people learn to manage numbers instead of managing risk. Any metric that weighs a paper cut the same as an amputation, or a fatality, needs to be deeply questioned. It’s like treating peeling paint on a handrail the same as a cracked load-bearing beam. One is cosmetic. The other can kill. The Shift? Engage consistently and authentically. Listen. Learn. Involve those closest to the work. Doing so where the work meets the worker. Build trust through transparency. Workers speak up when they trust leadership won’t punish honesty. Psychological safety is not a “soft skill”; it’s a life-saving one. Understand SIF risk. Organizations must share a clear, honest picture of where SIF risk lives, and how work gets done. Focus (and measure) on what counts. Not just what can be counted. ID the STCKY. Invest in safeguards. Prioritize and verify critical safeguards before work begins. Then debrief following. Learn from boring, normal, everyday work. Doing so prior to work commencing, but following every shift as well. Learning organizations have the operational discipline to learn when nothing “bad” is happening. An invitation to operational leaders. Ask yourself: Are your safety metrics designed to make leaders feel good. Or to keep people safe? Every great senior leader I’ve worked with wants to do the right thing. When it comes to safety, they often times just don’t know what the right thing is. That’s our job, not their problem…

Transparency isn’t just a value — it’s a multiplier. In high-performing teams, trust is the foundation. And trust is built on transparency. 📊 According to a Harvard Business Review study, organizations with high levels of transparency are 3x more likely to retain top performers and 2.5x more likely to foster innovation. Yet, many teams fall into the trap of withholding or reshaping information — either to avoid short-term discomfort or to “control the narrative.” But here’s the reality: 🔍 Changing the story doesn’t change the truth. 🚫 Avoiding hard data doesn’t make problems go away. If something’s not working — a project slipping, a product not delivering ROI, a strategy underperforming — speak up early and clearly. When leaders and teams embrace radical candor with data to back it up, they move from a culture of fear to a culture of accountability and progress. In my experience, being transparent (even when the data isn’t pretty) has led to faster course correction, more resilient teams, and stronger leadership alignment. 💡 A data point that stings today can be the insight that saves millions tomorrow. Let’s stop polishing stories and start telling the truth — with clarity, context, and courage. #Leadership #DataDriven #Transparency #WorkCulture #Trust #CorporateValues #DecisionMaking #PeopleFirst

The 70% vs 16% Lesson: Why Data Transparency Matters Early in my career, I walked into an executive meeting, ready to present, and confident about our performance. As we went through the presentation, I approached our slide with the metrics. “Our win rate is 70%,” I announced proudly. Then, one of the executives stopped me and said, “Actually, we have your win rate as 16%, but I'm sure there are just some minor differences in our calculations.” The room went quiet, and I continued with my presentation. Same data. Same company. Completely different numbers. The difference? The filters, assumptions, and methodology behind each calculation. My 70% included qualifiers, exclusions, filters, and business logic that painted a rosier picture. Their 16% represented the raw, unfiltered reality. The lesson that stuck with me was that when presenting data, always include: 1. The specific filters you applied 2. Any exclusions or limitations 3. The methodology behind your calculations 4. The time period and scope of your analysis Data without context isn’t insight—it’s just numbers that can mislead. Different teams analyzing the same dataset often reach different conclusions based on their assumptions and filters. Your integrity as a data professional depends on transparency. Present the full picture, not just the favorable one. Your credibility and your team’s trust depend on it. What’s the most important data lesson you’ve learned in your career? #EGDataGuy #dataintegrity #businessanalytics

Recent discussion in MBA Leadership Lecture. CEO’s RIsk of Withholding Downturn Performance Metrics from Employees 1. Erosion of Organizational Trust: When leadership fails to communicate performance shortfalls, it can foster skepticism and reduce credibility among staff, undermining confidence in executive decision-making. 2. Decreased Employee Engagement: Transparency drives ownership. Without visibility into underperformance, employees are less likely to feel empowered to contribute strategically or align their efforts with turnaround objectives. 3. Inhibited Operational Agility: Frontline employees are often best positioned to identify inefficiencies and implement corrective actions. Lack of data transparency restricts their ability to proactively address challenges. 4. Heightened Organizational Risk: Surprises—such as abrupt cost-cutting measures or layoffs—can trigger panic, disrupt workflow continuity, and impact talent retention. 5. Proliferation of Informal Communication Channels: In the absence of clear messaging from leadership, the rumor mill fills the gap, breeding misinformation, speculation, and unnecessary anxiety across teams.

Reflection on healthy data culture in business: sometimes executives think success comes from controlling the narrative with their metrics. They tightly restrict access, shape what information is shared up the chain, and spend more energy on positioning than improving results. The best data driven organizations work differently: they democratize access to the data (with responsible governance), openly discuss failures and successes, and encourage a culture of experimentation and learning. High performance leadership isn't about secrecy. It's about owning the results and showing a commitment to keep improving. Better, never best. Trust is built through transparency and accountability to the results. In professionals sports, everyone can see the score. Everyone can see the shots you make and the shots you miss. The best players miss all the time. What makes them great is that they learn from the shots they miss, practice, and get back in the game again to take it to the next level. It's the same in business: winners are never afraid to be seen missing a shot. What they fear is complacency. Victory comes to the brave leaders willing to take measured risks, learn from the results, and collaborate with their teams and peers to make those results even better next time. In my experience, the more your culture embraces open discussion on data and metrics, the faster you will create success for your customers. Get uncomfortable, embrace experimentation and learning, and invest in making your data better, more visible, and more discussed if you want to win in the age of AI.