You should tell your members and your staff. You should tell them what you expect of them. You should tell them what to expect of you. You should tell them what challenges you are facing and share the details. You should ask the same of them.

Over-communicate. Don’t assume. Over-communication is one of the secrets to building trust. When you don’t, that leads to surprise (the bad kind). Bad surprises destroy trust.

That’s why I over-communicate. Under-communication is miscommunication.

When you are making a big change, like changing a 10 year old design, you need to communicate that change like crazy. You can’t just flip a switch. You can’t just say, a week before, “we’re doing this.” You have to really talk through it.

When I ban a member, my staff is never surprised. Because they know exactly what is going on. I share all the details, including the conversations I have with members.

Even if a member doesn’t like me or how the community is run, it’s hard for them to claim I’m not honest with them. You know where I stand and that’s how trust develops.

If you feel like you haven’t communicated something enough, go further. It’s better to over-communicate than it is to under-communicate.