Executive Spotlight: How To Share Difficult News With Employees
As a leader, you face unique challenges in the workplace. A common scenario you might have to navigate as an executive or manager is sharing difficult news with employees. How can you effectively communicate the difficult news while staying positive and helping your employees look to the future?
We recently asked our leading executives for their tips on how to share difficult news with employees.
Here are their responses...
Ana Smith, Talent Architect & Global Learning Strategist
Sharing difficult news with employees is never easy, but it's important to do it in a way that is honest, compassionate, and transparent. Here are some ideas on how to do it:
Sharing difficult news with employees is never easy, but it's important to do it in a way that is honest, compassionate, and transparent. By following these tips, you can help your employees cope with the news and move forward in a positive way.
Ana Smith helps people & organizations achieve their full talent potential by developing and co-creating people strategies and customized solutions, and turning them into impactful outcomes and collaborative relationships, using coaching as the "red thread."
Michael Willis, Sports Business Operations ExecutiveImage from Bigstock
As a leader, I would plan a course of action fitting the news’s nature. Knowing that I need to have a difficult conversation with my team, I would collect as much information as possible to be a resource.
1. Arrange an urgent meeting.
As the news is known to management, getting out a statement or starting an immediate conversation is a way to deal with the situation head-on.
2. The meeting will be face to face.
To convey difficult news, the team needs to see my face and feel my empathy visually. The team might also need the support of each other.
3. Tell the truth.
Be as transparent as possible. In delivering bad news, give as much information as you can.
Please keep in mind that sometimes bad news comes from the top. And, at certain times, management will withhold information to a need-to-know basis.
4. Allow time for reactions.
Once the news has been delivered, take any questions that might be raised. This is my time to show empathy and understanding to the team. Offer any professional services that might be available.
5. A look to the future.
Briefly discuss a new path forward considering the impact of the bad news. This is a time to heal and move toward the future.
Michael Willis has 18+ years of experience working with accounting & sports organizations and has managed P&Ls of $10M - $125M+ with budgets of $3M-$50M+. He worked for the NFL for 22 1/2 years, mainly with the game officials working on the financial/accounting side of the business.
Lisa Perry, Global Marketing ExecutiveImage from Bigstock
Sharing difficult news with employees can be challenging, but it's important to do so thoughtfully and sensitively to ensure that employees feel supported during this time. When it’s time to deliver the difficult news to employees, follow these steps to ensure you're prepared and confident:
Overall, sharing difficult news with employees requires sensitivity and empathy. By taking the time to prepare yourself, choosing the right time and place, being transparent and honest, showing empathy, providing resources, and following up, you can help employees feel supported and cared for during this time.
Lisa Perry helps companies build leadership brands, driving loyal customers & delivering profitability. She does this through a process that builds brands consumers love. Her goal is to help companies develop, monetize, and grow their brands.
How do you share difficult news with employees? Join the conversation inside Work It Daily's Executive Program.
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