Shel Holtz’s article, “A Clear Case For Transparency,” describes one example of his frankness. In one post Levy asks the one question you would never expect to hear from a CEO, “Do I get paid too much?”. He actually outlined on the blog how much he was making and a how the board of directors had come to this sum. While his salary is a matter of public record, it is refreshing to see a CEO who is willing to raise the topic himself and offer it up for discussion. While there were a wide range of comments to this post, most people were just impressed that he was willing to talk about it.

Which brings me to the point that candidness is an important part of transparency. Levy’s salary was already public knowledge. But the way in which he handled the topic himself, was impressive. It is not enough for companies to put important information out there to their stakeholders, the delivery is just as important. You could put up salary information, but if it is confusingly organized, or poorly explained, how is this helpful to stakeholders?

By explaining how the decision was made for his salary, Levy gave stakeholders a clear understanding of where the money was going and why. By opening this up as a topic of discussion on his blog, he is truly transparent. Looking at his blog as a whole, the sheer magnitude of posts he writes a month and the candid way he writes is very impressive. CEOs should use his blog as an example to look at, if they are thinking about blogging, or taking their blog to the next level.