Delivering “Bad News”

Bad news is only bad news when it is too late

A consultant friend called not long ago to tell me her client was several weeks late on delivering some critical data. The only problem was, go live was only two weeks away and my colleague was going to be on holiday during one of those weeks.

She asked me how to handle this sticky situation.

If she had escalated earlier, I could have made suggestions on how to mitigate the risk, such as involving higher level executives to motivate the client team to deliver the data. I would have suggested arranging a backup resource while she is on holiday to make the transition seamless for her customer.

She cleaned up the mess, and the project was successful, but before all that happened, she  had to “deliver bad news” instead of “escalate an issue”. The difference in her client’s mind is huge.

It’s the difference between being just “someone who delivers” and a “rock star”.

The difference isn’t the size of the issue, it’s the timing of the escalation.

Lesson: When you have an issue to escalate on a project, don’t hesitate. Bring it up – respectfully and immediately – to the appropriate people:  those who can help mitigate the situation.  The more cycles you give your client to handle issues, the more successful you will be in their eyes.  Bad news is only bad news when it is too late to do something about it.