“Has this been discussed in the MT?”

“Are you going to bring this up in the MT?”

“Has a decision already been made about this in the MT?”

When I was a manager and part of the management team, I was asked questions like these regularly. The management team took on almost mythical proportions. As if, behind closed doors, decisions were being made there that determined everyone’s fate. As if mysterious strategies were being forged. The reality was far less dramatic.

Most meetings were about updates, developments in the department, results, and practical coordination. Sometimes topics came up that would later be shared more widely. Occasionally, something that couldn’t be disclosed right away. But exciting? Usually not.

Yet it can quickly feel mysterious. As soon as people have no insight into what’s being discussed, the imagination takes over. Fantasy is always more dramatic than reality. What is unknown takes on weight. What isn’t shared takes on meaning. That’s how stories arise that no one consciously invented, but that everyone believes in to some extent.

And try to stop that in time. In a calm, convincing way, without becoming defensive or getting irritated. At the same time, it’s also frustrating for people when there are actually issues at play that can’t yet be shared with them. Sometimes from the management team, sometimes from a board that doesn’t yet want to or isn’t allowed to reveal everything. Some topics require preparation and careful consideration. And even then, the risk lies in how you share the information.

That’s why this requires a thoughtful approach from you as a manager. Be honest about what is known, provide insight into the process and the considerations involved, and briefly explain why certain details cannot be shared yet. Transparency isn’t about sharing everything at once or simply forwarding meeting minutes; it’s about providing context and setting the stage. This way, you demonstrate openness without unintentionally fueling new speculation.

Ideally, an MT is a place where people with an overview of their department come together. Where information is shared, interests are weighed, and consequences are thought through. Where decisions aren’t “made about people,” but where balanced steps are sought before they affect everyone. That sometimes requires discretion, but never secrecy. Once people understand what that door is for, the myth disappears. What remains is what it always was: a group of leaders trying to take responsibility for the whole.

Trust doesn’t arise because everyone knows everything.

It arises because no one has to speculate.