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It's never fun giving anybody bad news, but especially your boss. There is a very high,
what I would call, 'squirm factor.' And whenever we feel uncomfortable or sort of awkward,
we can tend to ramble on. It can kind of be difficult to listen to, and the other person
is like, 'Ehhhhh...' It creates anxiety. So if you're having anxiety or uncertainty or
being uncomfortable, so is the other person. Trust me, if you're a boss, you want to know
exactly what's going on, as soon as possible. But, if you're the person delivering that
news, you can craft it in such a way so that it will have a positive outcome. So it goes
a little something like this: First, you need to set the stage, meaning that I think at
this point, before you even launch into it, you want to recap ever so slightly what the
objective was. Meaning if you had certain sales goals, for example, you can begin by
saying, "Listen. I know we set out for the first quarter that we were going to make X,
but I want to let you know where we are right now"- Just sort of establish again, what was
the goal. Then, you have to talk about the plot, meaning, 'What happened?' Right here
is where the tendency is to go on and on and then you say, "Well, you know, Mark, when
he was delivering that thing, that didn't go over very well, so then this happened..."
Honestly, this is the moment where your boss is going like this [miming with hand] 'yeah
yeah yeah yeah yeah'. This we want to make sure that it is short and sweet, but you do
need to explain what happened. Here's where we transition into 'the bad news.' Basically,
you want to be very clear about what is going on and why it's considered 'bad.' Just get
to the point. Now here's the best part: and this is the part where most people forget,
and where they have the best opportunity to shine, and that's the solution. Listen, business
has bumps in the road, it's a given. There are going to be challenges and obstacles,
but the individual who can look at that obstacle as an opportunity, shines above all else.
So, when you are delivering your bad news, you better walk into that room with a solution.
Better yet, maybe 1, 2, or 3 solutions, because then, the 'bad' news isn't really so bad!
It's just a gateway for more choices, and any boss in the world would appreciate the
thought and the leadership of their employee who comes in already anticipating some possible
areas to improve the situation. So, 'bad news' is going to be a part of business, we know
this, so instead of living in fear of it, or dreading the moment when you have to break
that bad news, forget about it! Use it as an opportunity to shine! Map out your story
in advance. Know all the key points, come in with some dynamite solutions-- and I'm
telling you, this bad news could be the best news ever.