Alison H. Sigmon - Delivering Bad News in Good Ways: Turn difficult conversations into purposeful dialogue, positive outcomes, & focused results in 3 easy steps (Volume 1:)

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to all the people with whom Ive had the pleasure to work or train over the years. Thank you for being the teacher to this student.

CONTENTS

Introduction: Delivering Bad News in Good Ways
Better way to prepare and communicate bad news

Chapter 1: No Innocent Parties
Take initiative to step up or risk the project driving off a cliff

Chapter 2: Lure of Magical Thinking
Short-term gains, long-term loss - the impact of delaying the inevitable

Chapter 3: Why Is It So Tough to Deliver Bad News?
Oh, the places we go with our stories (fears)

Chapter 5: Separate Step of the SED Method
Get the facts straight first

Chapter 6: Evaluate Step of the SED Method
Connecting the dots

Chapter 7: Deliver Step of the SED Method
Craft the statement with an eye to the receiver

Chapter 8: After SED - Now What?
Lets talk it out

Chapter 9: The End & the Beginning
Looking back to move forward

LET THE BAND AID RIP!

Listen, Ive got information that is important to shareif you dont want to hear it other people do. So lets quiet down.

Amid boos, curses, and protests that rippled through the crowd, this is what the executive said in a mobile phone-made video published on YouTube on February 10, 2016. In it employees at Carrier Corporation, a subsidiary of United Technologies, assembled to hear for the first time an announcement that would forever change the lives of 1,400 employees and their families.

About 10 seconds into the video, the executive, seen faintly in the distance, said, It became clear the best way to stay competitive and protect the business for long term is to move production from our facility in Indianapolis to Monterrey, Mexico

In addition to the announcement about relocating the production facility, the executive noted plans to move the distribution center as well. Feeling pressure for higher investment returns, United Technologies reportedly is looking to cut costs wherever it can in an effort to stay competitive.

The executive continues, saying, I want to be clear. This is strictly a business decision. More disgruntled words of protest erupt. The crowds anxiousness and frustration grow as movement around the hall increases.

I read about this in Nelson Schwartzs NY Times article titled Carrier Workers See Costs, Not Benefits, of Global Trade. While the focus of the article was about the global trade debate currently raging in the United States, I was struck by the approach executive management took with delivering this clearly bad no, devastating news.

Management chose to take the rip the Band Aid off approach, but based on the reaction of the employees, this was exactly how NOT to deliver bad news.

The executive assured the crowd that the move was not a reflection of their work and that relocation would have no immediate impact on their jobs, but the employees likely did not hear any of that part.

Why? Because of the shock they felt hearing it for the first time. The emotional impact was so great it was likely equal to hearing for the first time about the death of a loved one. Nothing else can be processed inside that moment.

Deeper in the video we learn management made the announcement before working with union representatives. Mr. Schwartz also confirmed via email with me that the employees had no advance knowledge of the companys intention prior to this announcement.

So while it appears little advanced groundwork was done to ease employees into the new future of the company, the executive continues with the following:

We still have a job to do. We have to take care of what needs to be done every day and continue to do it well just like we doWe are committed to treating you with respect throughout this transition.

It seems respect would include consideration for how the bad news was delivered. While debate lingers in the business world about how best to deliver bad news to employees, with the rip the Band Aid off approach among the methods recommended, there seems to be some room to consider a more empathic approach than what the Carrier executives chose. Consider the following:

How could Carrier management done this differently?

Where did the delivery of the bad news fall down?

What could the leadership have done in advance of the announcement to mitigate the response?

The structure of the executives news was acceptable, but the delivery stumbled. It was received as insensitive, inconsiderate, and one-sided. Basically, employees had no voice at the decision-making table. It is tough to get buy-in that way, and for Carrier the result ended up being a public relations nightmare across media and political platforms.

This is what we will address in this book. While the rip the Band Aid approach might be the right thing in some cases, there are actions we can take in advance to have what economists call a soft landing when delivering bad news.

SO HERE WE GO

Having spent many years working with startups to launch, grow, and raise funds for digital and ecommerce businesses, to create and deliver training programs for Fortune 1000 companies, and to consult in project management for government and corporations around the world, I have experienced plenty of situations to mine for topics for this book.

In addition to my work in business, I also have a graduate degree in psychology/clinical counseling and was a therapist for a number of years. Prior to that I was in the active duty and reserve US Air Force for more that 12 years. That experience coupled with my business and counseling experiences gave me a unique insight into communication, community systems, teamwork, management, and leadership.

Rare is the project that runs smoothly. In addition, the ever-evolving digital era continues to change the way we work. This new environment is fast and furious, and project challenges are a way of life.

When I first started in project management, the focus was on the technical side. I understood the reason for this, but it was not always where I hit the speed bumps with my projects, and I bet it is not where you normally run into trouble, either.

COMMON DENOMINATOR

Managers are needed for a variety of project types. Some are small and others are large and complex. The golden rule in managing projects is not to overdo. In other words, make the plan appropriate to the size and complexity of the project and only use what you really need to get the project done.

It is normal to use different tools and to trim steps to accommodate that rule. That is part of the art of managing projects and work. While the project process and tools may change from project to project, one common denominator runs throughout any project: People.