Bring bad news: That's how it works

Content

Bringing bad news: silence is not the solution
5 tips for delivering bad news
Have all the facts ready.
Don't try to gloss over anything.
Control your emotions.
Offer a solution.
Save the good news.
Process bad news
Stay calm.
Get an overview immediately.
Share relevant information.
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Most people prefer to share good news. They avoid bad ones. You don't make friends with it. To deliver bad news, has always been unpopular: in ancient times it was often a final job. 99 percent of the time, he ended up with the bad messenger losing his head. Fortunately, customs have evolved over the past centuries. But there is still bad news - and so are those who bring it. However, others now apply regulate: Shirkers are disqualified because that is part of every job: taking responsibility, making decisions and representing them - even if it is difficult and uncomfortable. Therefore: 5 tried and tested ways, like you Professionally convey bad news…

Bringing bad news: silence is not the solution

The problem with the bad news is: ignoring them does not eliminate them. Sooner or later everything comes to light - unfortunately often when the time is particularly unfavorable. Then heads won't roll anymore, but careers can end abruptly.

Also tend to neglected problems to get bigger. So, even if it hurts, it is an opportunity to grow with this task and to do yourself and the company you work for a favor.

A personal story - an example:

It was still during my studies. I worked for a larger company during the semester break to supplement my household budget. Strictly speaking, you couldn't even speak of a till, it was emptier than some promises. But I was lucky enough to get into a department with an exemplary boss. My job was just that of a folder made flesh, but he never let me feel it.

In the department, however, there was also a colleague who reliably met his goals, but was a crooked dog: He was arrogant, moody, kept all kinds of secrets and you never really knew whether he would not let you go with copy paper from time to time. In short: it was good, but nobody liked it.

When I started there, it had been going on for a while. I don't know how long or whether the colleague had changed negatively only recently. What is certain is that this man poisoned the climate with his whole kind. This was also noticeable as a newcomer.

Within two weeks, I too was completely annoyed by my colleague. I don't think I was the last drop in the barrel, but my boss at the time took the man to his chest after this time.It became a loud conversation, even through closed doors. After that it was clear that the man would leave the department.

Even then, I was quite curious and asked my boss later over lunch what had happened and why he had acted that way. I still remember his explanation well: "I had no other choice"said the boss. “I came here to uphold values such as fairness, transparency and collegiality. If I hadn't kicked him out, it would have been nothing but empty chatter for the others. If you expect your people to behave in a certain way, then you have to reward everyone who shows it, but also consistently separate yourself from those who don't. "

That made a lasting impression on me at the time. I know many managers who act differently and choose the path of least resistance. They either don't part with lousy employees at all (and hope that things will be sorted out by themselves) or they act secretly, quietly and quietly. The official reasons then sound like this: "The Meier quit for personal reasons in order to be able to spend more time with his family." Only the naive believe that, but it has no effect on the team either.

On the other hand, anyone who openly announces that Meier has been killed because he trampled company values or was bad and smelly lazy can be sure that his successor will behave differently. Not to mention anyone who has ever doubted the leadership's advocacy for these values.

But now to the core of the topic: So how do you deliver bad news? So…

5 tips for delivering bad news

Only one thing is worse than having to deliver bad news: bad news too late to deliver. There is nothing bosses hate more than to find out about an iceberg when the ship is half full. Because most problems behave like cancer: They are curable if you recognize them early enough, name them and do something about them.

Bad news to be submitted in a timely and correct manner, however, is an art. The good news: It's one that can be learned. Essentially, it comes down to this 5 points to note:

Have all the facts ready.
Background, causes, how this could happen ... Present them briefly and succinctly - without evasive maneuvers, without excuses or relativizations. Easy: That's the way it is now.
Don't try to gloss over anything.
Or worse: blaming others for it. No matter what role you play on the team, prove your backbone and apologize. If you are the messenger of the news, you should also be the one responsible for it - so be responsible for it too. The only permitted formulation is "we" mode: We didn't manage that ... On the other hand, any formulation with “man” - too distant - is taboo.
Control your emotions.
Be patient. It can happen that your boss then circles under the ceiling for five minutes and audibly ventilates his frustration for the floor values below. Endure the outburst and keep your composure. No matter how things turn out, he'll appreciate you for that steadfastness alone.
Offer a solution.
But at least a way to stop the downward spiral. Just not immediately and in the same breath, that has a calming effect and like an admission of guilt.
Save the good news.
Please never try to put some good news in cotton wool right away. Firstly, bosses see through the sandwich maneuver, secondly, they usually burn the good results with it. Better to wait a while for the smoke to clear.

Process bad news

Receiving bad news professionally and dealing with it properly is of course no fun either. But just as learnable ...

Therefore, therefore and therefore: Here are our recommendations on how to deal with bad news better and more professionally:

Stay calm.
Screaming gives air, but it doesn't solve the problem. It is also like this: Once you have been criticized for getting out of your skin every time and competing with Rumpelstiltskin every time someone confesses to you a mistake, people will eventually no longer dare to do exactly that. The result: procrastination, cover-up, sinking.
Get an overview immediately.
If you are already cooking, then please do not undercook anything. Make sure beforehand that you really know all the facts that led to the problem: who, what, when, where, why? Analyze the problem, create an emergency plan (which of course ideally already exists) and act on it. Now it is first about damage control.
Share relevant information.
Depending on how big the dilemma is to several colleagues: short, precise, emotionless. Because they too want to find out things from you first and not from the media. You now know how to do that.

Or as Molière said: "People are alike in words, but you can tell them apart by their deeds."