One of the most unpleasant parts of being a leader is delivering bad news. From having to fire an employee to losing a major client, it is never easy to tell your staff that they will lose their income or have it reduced.
However, business is about successes and failures. And great leaders know how to celebrate the former and shoulder the responsibility for the latter. As the saying goes “the tone makes the music”, delivering bad news requires a certain strategy and approach.
Preparing to Deliver the Bad News
First of all, you need to be ready to share negative information. For this, take some time to internalize what it means and what consequences it has for your employees, for the company, and for the immediate future (ongoing projects, work in progress).
Next, think carefully about what you will say. Some of the worst ways of delivering bad news is downplaying the consequences, in an attempt to soften the blow, or placing blame.
For context, a classic case of poor handling of bad news is the response of Enron management to a letter of warning from an unidentified employee prior to the December 2001 scandal. The executives downplayed the risk and ignored the warning. While it is not clear whether acting on it may have made a difference, this attitude is something every leader must avoid at all costs.
The Right Way to Deliver Bad News
So, what exactly should a leader do in order to deliver bad news in a proper manner? Here are a few suggestions:
1. Do Not Delay Imparting the Bad News
Postponing a blow will not soften it. On the contrary, it will leave the affected party with little time to prepare and adjust to weather the consequences. If you get a serious complaint from a client on the way your team handles their projects, or if you receive notice from top management to terminate an employee, do not waste even a day.
Clear your schedule for a few hours, think about what you have to say, and call an internal meeting or ask the individual involved for a one-on-one discussion.
2. Find the Best Place and Time to Speak Up
No one reacts well to bad news, but there are moments and places where people feel more at ease and can absorb the shock better. When it comes to individuals, a smaller meeting room or the cafeteria will feel less intimidating than your office.
However, when you need to share bad news with a team, the usual area you use for brainstorming is a good place, as it also has positive connotations from the successes you shared with them in the past.
3. Give Everyone an Idea about What Message You Will Share
Bad news does not come as a total shock if you give everyone a heads up. When asking for the meeting, say that it concerns “recent issues that have come to our attention” or “a message from the top floor”.
Without being specific, this kind of wording prepares your employees for something concerning and negative.
4. Let the Recipient Vent
We are professionals, but first of all, we are human. Even the staunchest follower of corporate culture will have a few emotional moments after receiving bad news. As a good leader, you must empathize with the employee and let them go through this emotional moment with dignity.
Offer some words of encouragement, but make sure that they are simple, sincere, and heartfelt. Once this difficult situation is over, your team members will remember your reaction and judge your leadership by it, as well.
5. Talk About the Future
Whenever possible, add a silver lining to the bad news. For instance, when you have to let an employee go through no fault of them, assure them that you will give them a good recommendation and endorse them for any suitable opening you become aware of.
When a project falls through, discuss the ways you can still retain the client and focus on what can be done to mitigate the negative aftershocks. By giving your team something to work and plan for, you help them accept the bad news, learn from it, and move forward.
This article was originally published on pldx.org.
