It is not enough to not shoot the bearer of bad news; you need to embrace the messenger and thank them for bringing you the news you needed to hear. Anything less will cripple communication; no one wants to bring ill tidings; it often takes fortitude to do so especially when one is speaking truth to power.
When you respect candor or show appreciation for tough honesty or accept bad news with grace, especially when you are a leader or in a position of authority, you will find that the information you need will flow much more freely. I have learned the importance of immediately showing appreciation and expressing thanks when I receive hard news; even a grimace, sigh or frown can have a more detrimental effect than one might realize.
By doing so not only are you rewarding a straight shooter, you are also encouraging future truth bringers. When you re-set your own internal mental attitude, you are reducing perceived stress and orientating yourself toward finding an acceptable resolution. A Havard study showed that even the best of us exhibits an unconscious ‘tendency to dislike the bearers of bad news, regardless of how innocent they are in the situation.’ When the messenger can be part of the solution, say a medical professional delivering a diagnosis or the person with the most firsthand knowledge, that mindset can worsen, not better, our circumstances.
Closing Quotes:
“When you punish people for speaking the truth, you end up with no truth.” – Tucker Max
“The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it.” – Flannery O’Connor, 1925-1964
“Anyone who refuses to hear hard truth will find himself surrounded by those too timid to speak it.” – Unknown
“It’s not enough to not shoot the messenger—you have to hug the messenger.” – Amy C. Edmondson, The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth
As always, I share what I most want and need to learn. – Nathan S. Collier
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