Originally published 10/09/07.

Thanks to Michelle Martin for pointing me to The See-Through CEO, a powerful Wired article about a new breed of CEOs that use transparency as a business strategy.

Transparency is also a leadership strategy that nonprofit leaders can use.

I grew up among stoic Scandinavians in northern Minnesota, people who have made an art of suffering in silence with a little humor thrown in for good measure. When I became disabled with rheumatoid arthritis at age 17, I handled the hospitalizations, surgeries, and indignities with the stoicism I had grown up with.

That worked for about four years. Then I became severely depressed and wondered if I was going to end up on 5 South, the psych unit. My college friends were sympathetic and bewildered. I was one of the leaders who never let being disabled stop me.

I sought out a psychology professor and in three sessions he helped me identify a key issue I needed to address. That was a turning point for me. Slowly I began to learn openness as a strategy for life.

A few years later at Plow Creek, I told a small group the story of becoming disabled in a way that I never had before. It was amazing and liberating.

About that time I was asked to become one of the pastoral elders of the Plow Creek commune. As I assumed a leadership role I continued to be open about the ups and downs of my life. That was not the norm for the commune. The lead elder, a mentor, and one of the founders was a gregarious but very private man. He seemed to have no inner struggles. Maybe I should be more like him, I thought, instead of being so open.

About that time he was forced to disclose a long history of sexual misconduct. A minor whom he had abused became an adult and began to tell the story. My mentor had been able to keep his activities secret.

I discovered what havoc the secret life of a leader can wreak on an organization. Plow Creek survived and all of us involved learned some lessons the hard way.

People see through every CEO, every leader. People in your organization live with your weaknesses so you might as well admit to them. And, if by chance, you are managing to fool your organization, remember, sooner or later you will be a see through CEO/leader.