The Case for Radical Transparency
May 6, 2026
The Case for Radical Transparency
Early at Buddy Media, we made a decision that felt risky at the time: tell people the truth. All of it.
Not the polished, PR-approved version. The real version.
When we were running low on cash, we told the team. When a big client was unhappy, we shared it in the all-hands. When we made a mistake, we owned it publicly.
I (Kass) remember one meeting where I stood up and said, "We have six months of runway. If we don't hit these numbers, we're done." You could feel the room tense up.
But something surprising happened. People didn't panic. They focused.
Why Transparency Works
Most leaders think they're protecting their teams by filtering information. They're not. They're creating anxiety.
People can feel when something is off. When you don't tell them what's happening, they fill in the gaps with their imagination. And their imagination is usually worse than reality.
Transparency does three things:
The Hard Part
We won't pretend this is easy. Radical transparency means sharing news that makes you uncomfortable. It means admitting when you don't have answers. It means trusting your team to handle the truth.
Some people will leave. That's okay. The ones who stay will run through walls for you.
A Question to Sit With
What are you not telling your team right now ... and why?
The best cultures aren't built on optimism. They're built on honesty.
Love,
💪 The Competitive Edge — Success is fueled by your self-discipline and drive.
💸 Build Before You Give — Want to change the world? Magnify your philanthropic impact by building first.
👫 The Cofounder Checklist — Know the strengths and weaknesses of your cofounders before you commit.
FOUR FAVORITE FINDS
✈️ Spirit's Final Descent — Spirit Airlines bet everything on rock-bottom fares, but when costs spiked and creditors walked away, there was nothing left to fall back on.
☠️ Bureaucracy Kills Business — The JPMorgan CEO has a blunt message for managers who prioritize process over results: you're killing the company.
🗞️ Saving Small-Town News — While newspapers are dying across America, one billionaire is betting that hometown coverage and old-school profitability can bring them back.
🤖 The Cost of the AI Boom — Apple's latest earnings beat expectations, but CEO Tim Cook's warning about AI-driven memory costs signals trouble ahead for the entire tech industry.
AROUND THE FARM
🎙 Scaling, Exits, and the AI Era — Mike joined Paul Morris to talk about building companies from golf.com to Buddy Media, and why timing and storytelling matter more than technology alone.
🤑 Money Mindset Deep Dive — We got real with Kareen Zahr about how we think about money, risk, and building wealth as entrepreneurs.
😯 The Full Journey: Golf.com to Now — We went retrospective with Dan Evans, tracing the whole messy path from our first venture to today. Great for anyone who wants the unfiltered story.
WINS WORTH CELEBRATING 🎉
🤩 Award Winner — The Goody Business Book Awards recognized Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story as a winner in both Entrepreneurism and Small Business categories. Honored to be included.
📚 Bestseller Status — The book debuted on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! We couldn't have done it without this community — the purchases, the shares, showing up to events, writing reviews, and spreading the word. Thank you. Seriously.
Early at Buddy Media, we made a decision that felt risky at the time: tell people the truth. All of it.
Not the polished, PR-approved version. The real version.
When we were running low on cash, we told the team. When a big client was unhappy, we shared it in the all-hands. When we made a mistake, we owned it publicly.
I (Kass) remember one meeting where I stood up and said, "We have six months of runway. If we don't hit these numbers, we're done." You could feel the room tense up.
But something surprising happened. People didn't panic. They focused.
Why Transparency Works
Most leaders think they're protecting their teams by filtering information. They're not. They're creating anxiety.
People can feel when something is off. When you don't tell them what's happening, they fill in the gaps with their imagination. And their imagination is usually worse than reality.
Transparency does three things:
- It builds trust. People know you won't lie to them.
- It creates ownership. When everyone sees the real numbers, everyone acts like an owner.
- It speeds up decisions. No one is waiting for information that's being hoarded at the top.
The Hard Part
We won't pretend this is easy. Radical transparency means sharing news that makes you uncomfortable. It means admitting when you don't have answers. It means trusting your team to handle the truth.
Some people will leave. That's okay. The ones who stay will run through walls for you.
A Question to Sit With
What are you not telling your team right now ... and why?
The best cultures aren't built on optimism. They're built on honesty.
Love,
💪 The Competitive Edge — Success is fueled by your self-discipline and drive.
💸 Build Before You Give — Want to change the world? Magnify your philanthropic impact by building first.
👫 The Cofounder Checklist — Know the strengths and weaknesses of your cofounders before you commit.
FOUR FAVORITE FINDS
✈️ Spirit's Final Descent — Spirit Airlines bet everything on rock-bottom fares, but when costs spiked and creditors walked away, there was nothing left to fall back on.
☠️ Bureaucracy Kills Business — The JPMorgan CEO has a blunt message for managers who prioritize process over results: you're killing the company.
🗞️ Saving Small-Town News — While newspapers are dying across America, one billionaire is betting that hometown coverage and old-school profitability can bring them back.
🤖 The Cost of the AI Boom — Apple's latest earnings beat expectations, but CEO Tim Cook's warning about AI-driven memory costs signals trouble ahead for the entire tech industry.
AROUND THE FARM
🎙 Scaling, Exits, and the AI Era — Mike joined Paul Morris to talk about building companies from golf.com to Buddy Media, and why timing and storytelling matter more than technology alone.
🤑 Money Mindset Deep Dive — We got real with Kareen Zahr about how we think about money, risk, and building wealth as entrepreneurs.
😯 The Full Journey: Golf.com to Now — We went retrospective with Dan Evans, tracing the whole messy path from our first venture to today. Great for anyone who wants the unfiltered story.
WINS WORTH CELEBRATING 🎉
🤩 Award Winner — The Goody Business Book Awards recognized Shoveling $h!t: A Love Story as a winner in both Entrepreneurism and Small Business categories. Honored to be included.
📚 Bestseller Status — The book debuted on the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists! We couldn't have done it without this community — the purchases, the shares, showing up to events, writing reviews, and spreading the word. Thank you. Seriously.
Connect with Kass & Mike
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© Kass & Mike Lazerow 2026