The Hidden Costs of Transparency: Why I Don't Share Every Innovation

In today's hyper-connected world, where information flows faster than ever before, transparency is often hailed as the gold standard for modern communication. But have you ever considered that there might be a hidden cost to being overly transparent?

(Hint: the answer is yes, there are hidden costs to being overly transparent.)

In this post, I will delve into an often-overlooked avenue in the realm of innovation and the reason I don't always share every detail about new things I'm working on.

The Complexity of Innovation

Innovation is a multifaceted process. It’s not merely about the final product but encompasses brainstorming sessions, development phases, testing, and iterations. Sharing the intricate details of each stage can sometimes blur the line between transparency and confusion (possibly making YOU look like you're all over the place).

Your audience is not armed with the same knowledge and expertise you have around certain aspects of your business so they may not grasp the full context or appreciate the painstaking processes involved. This potentially leads to misunderstandings or underestimations of the work that has gone into your idea.

Protecting Intellectual Property

Another key reason for withholding details during the innovation process is the protection of your intellectual property. In competitive industries, the premature sharing of innovative ideas can lead to imitation or intellectual theft.

By controlling the flow of information, you can safeguard your unique edge until you are ready for a formal launch or announcement. I can't tell you how frustrating it is to see your hard work marched out by someone else because you'd shared details about it with them before announcing it publicly. 

Maintaining Focus and Direction

The constant pressure to update and share every step of an innovation may also lead to distraction. What often happens is you find yourself catering to feedback or critiques that have little or nothing to do with your vision because all the details aren't ready or released yet. Responding to these comments is a waste of your precious time.

By keeping certain elements under wraps, the focus can remain on the core goals and values without external noise swaying the direction.

Managing Expectations

A key pillar of any success business is managing your customers' expectations. Prematurely sharing insights into your innovation can lead to inflated or misaligned expectations. Then if the end result doesn’t match the early assumptions, it can backfire, opening the door for customer's to feel let down or disappointed.

By selectively sharing progress, creators can manage expectations more effectively, ensuring that the novelty doesn’t outshine feasibility.

Conclusion

While transparency is undoubtedly valuable, particularly in fostering trust and collaboration, an element of discretion is essential in the realm of innovation. Balancing openness with strategic privacy allows you to protect your processes, maintain focus, and ultimately deliver better results. It’s not about keeping secrets - it's about understanding the right moments to share, ensuring that the 'wow factor' is safeguarded until you're ready to let is shine.

Listen to the Beauty Biz Show Episode where I talk about this here.