- The Standup
- Posts
- Can I Be Honest?
Can I Be Honest?
Is being honest and transparent with your team really that novel?
Can I Be Honest?
Is being honest and transparent with your team really that novel?
Hello!
Today we explore why transparency is a value that should matter to your team, we take a look at the remake of a beloved classic, and we’re getting ready to share something special Soon™ (no, it’s not Immortals of Aveum™ news just yet).
“Can I be Honest?” How Our Team Builds Trust Through Transparency And Why Your Team Should Too
When a company creates a set of values, they’re not just creating an identity; they’re setting an expectation for themselves, their employees, and their patrons. When we asked our team what they would change about their previous employers, one of the top answers was “Better/Responsible Leadership.” Simple enough, right? But what needed to be better?
As we dug into our team’s needs further, it became clear that honesty and transparency are paramount to them, even if it means the group or leadership doesn’t always have immediate answers. This insight led to the creation of one of Ascendant’s core values, Empower Each Other, which states that we lead with transparency, encourage autonomy, expect integrity, demand accountability, and empower each team member to have a meaningful impact on our shared studio goals.
“I always appreciated it when the leadership of the studio I was at was really honest and transparent about what was going on with the project. Now as the head of my own studio, I try to conduct myself honestly and always be straight with everyone on our team.”
When you’re facing conflicts, road blocks, and are in the trenches of making a game, does it feel like your studio is a unified front or a chaotic mess? If you’re a team member not making the decisions, you might feel left in the dark, with a gnawing notion that there’s something wrong that’s left unsaid. If you’re in leadership, you might feel ashamed about a mistake that was made and feel worried about losing respect or the cooperation of your team. While not all decisions can or need to be widely shared across the full team, it’s been our experience that more transparency regarding decision making, and more accountability encouraged at all levels within the team can have a huge positive impact on company culture.
“The most important aspect of transparency is trust. I've always found that by revealing the reasons for why something happened — even if they're as embarrassingly human as "we forgot about that" — leads to greater empathy and can often result in the team coming together to find creative solutions that wouldn't have come up otherwise. By sharing the motivations and problems behind a decision or a design, you're encouraging everyone to get invested in the solution.”
Fostering honesty and transparency can also be done through direct communication. At Ascendant, we use a weekly studio-wide meeting, led by Bret and our leadership team, to speak openly about the game’s progress, welcome new hires, share company updates, and discuss what is necessary to finish the game. Talking about challenges your studio is facing and defining how you will tackle such challenges together, can help build trust with your team and create a positive, productive work environment.
Is a weekly all hands meeting enough? No, of course not. Neither is putting feel-good words on a website or a handbook. Values are aspirational in nature and despite best efforts and good intentions, we’re not always going to live up to them. If and when we fall short, it’s an opportunity to reflect, recommit, and try again. . Building an honest and transparent team culture takes work. It’s like nurturing a good relationship. But when you get it right, it can be the greatest game changer.
We’d love to hear from you about a time when your employer’s honesty and transparency helped earn your trust. Take the poll and reply to the newsletter with your thoughts.
What type of company value is most important to you as an employee? |
Gamers love remakes, but do the original creators love remakes?
Find out what the Creative Director behind the 2008 hit Dead Space, Bret Robbins, thinks as he reacts to playing the new 2023 remake.
P.S. Don't miss a bonus Rise Above podcast episode airing soon, featuring a one-on-one conversation between the Creative Directors of the 2008 Dead Space and the 2023 Remake!
In the Press
“It’s not some niche publisher of indie art-house games anymore. During The Game Awards last year, EA Originals revealed Immortals of Aveum.”