By Dan Hammond, Chief Disruption Officer, LIW
A common problem for leaders is giving bad news to their boss.
If that boss is the CEO, very often they are highly driven and attached to the goals of the business (after all, they probably created them). Being told that there are problems is not, shall we say, what they want to hear.
What does this mean for leadership?
The emotion often comes from the CEO feeling that the messenger is not ‘on side’ and is ‘part of the problem’ – however irrational that is.
If you want to get out of the boss’s office with your dignity and limbs intact, try a different approach. Use the 3Ws:
• W1: Start by reinforcing the goal and your commitment to it
• W2: Share what’s standing in the way
• W3: Offer a number of possible solutions
Now run! 😊