Being transparent is key to success at many startups and technology companies — and Clari is no exception. Transparency allows companies to ensure all communication is purposeful, allowing employees to say ‘no’ when necessary and hold each other accountable.
Transparency is key to employee happiness too. According to one survey from Tiny Pulse, management transparency was one of the highest-ranking factors for employee happiness.
Even Clari’s products reflect the need for transparency. “Our product, the Clari Revenue Platform, is all about giving revenue teams a clear view into their business so they can track performance, spot opportunities and challenges and make informed data-driven decisions,” Chief People Officer Laura MacKinnon told Built In.
There are several strategies that companies can use to create a culture of transparency, including diving deep into financial performance at all-hands meetings, embracing challenges that arise and valuing and applying employee feedback.
Read on to learn more about how Clari maintains transparency in its day-to-day operations as well as how leadership embraces it too.
Clari is a software company that specializes in revenue management and capture.
What does transparency look like at Clari?
At Clari, we don’t just talk about transparency, we live and breathe it. Like our company values, it’s at the core of our culture and business.
Transparency isn’t just important for our product — it’s a priority for our people too. Andy, our CEO, hosts weekly Town Hall meetings where he shares what’s top of mind for that week and then opens the floor for employees to ask anything. During our monthly all-hands and revenue wrap-up meeting, we dive deep into our financial performance, company goals and key initiatives. Everyone has access to department and individual goals and how we’re tracking, which keeps us focused and aligned on our common objectives.
But what’s really important is that we don’t just celebrate the good; we also embrace the not-so-good stuff. We encourage employees to get comfortable saying no and sharing bad news or challenges early. We call these “courageous conversations,” and they help us tackle problems head-on and find solutions together.
What’s really important is that we don’t just celebrate the good;. we also embrace the not-so-good stuff.”
Why were these practices implemented at Clari?
From day one, we’ve been committed to creating a culture that’s engaging and transparent.
We believe in being open and honest because it empowers employees, enables better decision-making and builds trust and collaboration across the company.
It all comes down to mutual trust and commitment between Clari and our people. Transparency aligns deeply with our “Jazz Band” value — we harmonize as a team but trust in each other as individuals. It's how we hold each other accountable and create an environment where everyone can thrive.
What are the outcomes of this level of transparency? What employee feedback have you received about these practices?
We deeply value employee feedback and are delighted to know that our team appreciates how open we are. Even candidates and new hires often share that they love our transparent hiring process.
One of our new executive assistants, Kaitlan, shared this with our people team: “The thing that stuck out about the interview process was that it didn’t feel like a game. Everyone was so open about the company, what they offer and how they felt about me as a candidate. It felt like we were all on the same page and working towards a mutually beneficial outcome.”
We are committed to maintaining these levels of trust and honesty across the company. As a result, we are rewarded with a culture that drives us to innovate, collaborate and inspire each other as we shape the only end-to-end platform built to run revenue.
