Today’s practice confirmed my research. We worry about telling our team “bad news” because we’re afraid they’ll lose heart. As leaders we’re not lying to them, we’re just being “up-beat” and positive. Isn’t that what all the research tells us that they want? In a word, nope.
We don’t believe that the team can “handle the truth.” So, we spin the message and try to soften the blow. We start our update, board, team, and executive meetings with some kinda good news about the economy, our performance, the pipeline, or some “verbal” we just got from that big project we’ve been bidding on. We end it by not quite getting to item number 5 on the agenda, where we’re going and who won’t be going with us. Friday afternoon comes, somebody mysteriously leaves, nobody breathes a word, and come Monday the leader walks around like nothing’s happened and so does the team.
Today after we watched the Gettysburg clip that’s about 10 minutes long, I asked the team to tell me how Chamberlain started his speech. None could recall. In all the practices I’ve conducted around this city, state, country, and world, nobody has ever remembered his first words to his team of mutineers.
Nobody.
Here’s what the 120 mutineers new leader tells them. He tells them that he listened to Private Bucklin (sp), he understands their problem and there’s NOTHING he can do for them now. Talk about clear, concise, and direct. He delivers the bad news right out of the chute with zero spin and zero wiggle room. He proceeds to tell them why he’s here, where he’s going, and why he wants them to come along. He speaks from his heart and they connect. Magic.
We’re not even there, we’re simply watching a film, and we do the same. We don’t even remember him delivering the bad news. We’re so seared by his sincerity and his overarching vision that we forgive and forget the fact that he told us such bad news to begin with. We just do.
Leaders, remember this recipe. When you have bad news to deliver, lead with it. Tell the team the unvarnished truth in LOVE. AND, remember to end with why you are here, where you are going, and why you want them to come along. The team wants to believe. The problem is that very few leaders are believable. Make this your communication habit and your team will start to believe. They just will. Who knows, your new recipe just might turn some of your disengaged into some of your most engaged. Funny, huh.
Just ask Chamberlain, it turned 120 mutineers into 114 crazy, engaged, fixed bayonet freedom fighters who saved the day at the battle of Little Roundtop.
Who knew leading with the bad could be so good…
BUILT TO LEAD 