Good News/Bad News or Bad News/Good News?
If you’re the leader in an organization, you have the responsibility of communicating the facts clearly. All the facts. Those that folks want to hear and those that folks don’t want to hear.
As such, many leaders begin a discussion with their staff, their board, or their congregation with the statement, “I have some good news and I have some bad news to share with you.”
According to one leadership expert, that’s absolutely the wrong order. Rather, he offers this small but important communication tip…
Always deliver the bad news first.
For example, if you have five pieces of information to share and two of them are on the difficult side, lead with those two. “I’ve got a handful of things to convey, and the first couple will be hard to hear. I don’t want to pretend otherwise.” Then in a clear, concise, calm manner, explain what has gone awry.
Our in-house attendance has not come back as we’d anticipated.
Several key families have left the church.
Our Sunday offerings are down significantly.
We’re going to have to freeze salaries.
Always deliver the bad news first.
Once the bad news is out, you’re then freed up to shift to an upbeat posture. “On another front, I have some great news to report about several other things.”
Our on-line viewership is up dramatically. We have people “attending” our church from all across the country.
We are seeing an uptick in new families, many of which are young and excited about what they see.
Our automated giving is taking root and we anticipate that this will result in more consistent stewardship.
While we can’t offer you more pay, we are going to offer you greater flexibility with your office hours.
Before dismissing everyone, it’s suggested that you summarize what has been covered in a positive way: “To recap, there are some issues we need to address, and we’ll need to take appropriate steps toward that end. But please hear me out: we are still moving into the future in full-trust mode with God, believing that He’s going to do something fantastic in and through our efforts.”
End on a Positive Note
Too many leaders kick off a meeting by rattling off their best news first, and then, just before adjourning, they say, “Now, before I let you go, we really need to talk about one serious issue.”
They then trudge through all that’s wrong or where they’re struggling, close with an ominous-sounding prayer, and leave everyone dejected because all they can remember of the meeting is that “one issue’ that was such a downer at the end.
Leaders have no choice but to share all the news – the good and the bad. But the difference between that information being received positively or negatively often comes down to where you place the bad news.
Try delivering it first. Get it over with and end on a positive note. It will leave your staff, elders, and church in a much better place.
Try delivering the bad news first. Get it over with and end on a positive note. It will leave your staff, elders, and church in a much better place.
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