Transparent decision-making builds trust

People don’t need to agree with your decisions. They need to understand them. Showing your reasoning builds trust even when people disagree with the conclusion.

Hidden decisions create suspicion. Why won’t they explain? What are they hiding? Transparency eliminates that. You show the thinking: the constraints, the tradeoffs, the information you considered. Even disagreement includes respect.

Build in Public makes decisions visible. Demonstrates that you think deeply about the work. Polished announcements hide the reasoning. Documentation shows it.

When people see your decision-making process, they learn how you think. Over time, they can predict your decisions. That predictability creates trust and reduces coordination overhead.

See what I’m working on doesn’t just show what changed. It shows why. The reasoning becomes permanent context for future decisions.

Corporate opacity does the opposite. Leadership makes decisions, announces them, refuses to explain. Teams lose trust because they can’t see the logic. Eventually they stop trying to understand and just execute blindly.

The cost of transparency: occasional criticism when your reasoning is flawed. The benefit: faster course correction and deeper trust from people who matter.

When people understand your thinking, they can suggest improvements that actually fit your constraints. Suggestions and Proposals make readers part of the work.

Document decisions as you make them. Include what you considered, what you rejected, what uncertainties remain. Future you will thank you. Future readers will trust you.