Tell them before they find it. The same news lands totally different depending on who delivers it.
LEADERSHIP
WHAT THIS MEANS
News changes shape depending on the route it travels. Coming from you it carries context, tone, and the fact that you chose to say it. Found by them it arrives with a second injury attached, which is that you let them find out. People usually punish the concealment more than the thing concealed.
If something is going to surface, say it first and say it early, before you have the perfect wording. Lead with the fact, then explain. It turns into a short bad conversation instead of a long one.
A QUESTION TO SIT WITH
What news should come from you before someone else?
MORE IN LEADERSHIP & INFLUENCE
- How you react when your friend messes up tells everybody whether it’s safe to mess up around you.
- Say “we” when it goes right and “I” when it goes wrong. People will run through walls for that kind of captain.
- A good friend is a lane-assist. They nudge you back before you drift into something you’ll regret.
Free, with nothing to buy inside it.