The Importance of Speed in Reporting Bad News

How quickly does bad news travel up the line in your company?

Quickly is good – but it needs to travel at the speed of light, if you want to be part of a world-class organisation.

Why? Because, in business as in medical care, the first 48-hours are often crucial to the optimal management of a problem.

Senior management often has knowledge, networks and resources that can quickly and efficiently deal with the problem. But if they don’t know about it, they can’t help you resolve it.

In fear-based cultures, bad news is often quarantined at the source, while those who feel they might be blamed for it try to manage, disguise or dissemble the failure.

By contrast, great leaders put people at ease when they are reporting problems. They always stay calm and are often heard to say: “That’s too bad. Don’t worry, you’re doing a great job. Thankfully it’s not a big deal. We’ll handle this together.”

It’s a leader’s job to solve problems. So you are not adding to their burdens by reporting bad news, you are merely allowing them to do their job.

As for you, always ask yourself: “Will I remember this problem in 3-years from today?” If the answer is “probably not”, then it’s not a big problem.

Here’s the good news about “bad news”: 98% of your problems will not pass this test.