How to Deliver Bad News to Your Boss Without It Landing on You

I get that.

But I still have to wonder why the delay is so much worse than the news.

I didn't have bad intentions going in.

In the moment, it really felt like I was buying time to fix it.

Yeah.

And, John, you know, that delay, that attempt to fix it and make things right, it feels responsible.

The problem is when it comes to light, it reads as a cover-up.

And here's the mechanism.

When you finally bring bad news late, the person above you doesn't just process the problem.

They start running a second calculation almost instantly and many times unconsciously.

What else is this person sitting on right now that I don't know about? So one delay and you've told them your silence can't be trusted.

And listen, a leader can survive a problem, but they can't work with someone whose silence they have to worry about.

One buried thing makes them question everything.

Yeah.

And as they say in the cowboy movies, it poisons the whole well.

And John, unfortunately, there's a second piece.

You've heard me say need leaks.

We talk about this all the time.

And we talk about the fact that fear leaks in the exact same way.

So when you finally deliver it all soft and hedged and wrapped in excuses, they can feel the fear in that.

And that fear reads as guilt.

So you, despite your best intentions, you come off sounding like someone with something to hide, even when the problem was never fully your fault.

But that's so backwards because half the time, the bad news isn't even my fault.

Like the vendor was late, you know, the market moved.

And by hiding and hedging it, you made it your fault.