It starts by hammering the people that bring you bad news. It ends with being blindsided by a negative situation that impacts your team, department, or organization so strongly you cannot recover quickly or maybe at all.
History is full of leaders who stopped listening to bad news and through words or actions only welcomed all-is-good updates. Those leaders and organizations often experienced a major decline or ceased to exist.
Pay attention to the tips below so that you aren’t blindsided by bad news.
- If you aren’t hearing about obstacles or problems, ask for them. “What is the biggest obstacle you are handling right now? How is this obstacle affecting the team and the deliverables?”
- When someone does give you bad news, say thank you. Thank the person for bringing forth a tough issue.
- Be a THINKing partner; have a two-way discussion about how to fix the situation. Don’t punish or degrade. Talk about the options and how to implement the best option. Later, after the problem is fixed, you will have time to have a tough conversation—now is not the time.
Delegation is the answer to getting work done through others. Follow up is the answer to making sure you understand the obstacles your team, department, or organization faces. The 2-Way Delegation app has 100s of tips for delegating effectively, building your career, and being successful in your leadership role.
