3. Take responsibility for the bad news, not just the good news.
I know an organization that had to lay off 30-40 people (almost a third of the team). People working there were fired with little or no warning. Some of this was done in response to the bad economy. But it was clear from insiders and outside observes alike that a big part of the downturn was the result of poor leadership decisions. Senior leaders had ignored many warning signs communicated by employees and had not listened to what the market was saying for years. As Jim Collins describes in How the Mighty Fall, hubris was at the core of the problem. There was an inability to see the truth because of self-obsession with past success and personal agendas (instead of organizational realities). As a result, it all came crashing down.
When it came time to make the layoffs, the Chairman and the President both were absent while the bad news was communicated. It was hard for employees to believe. And upon their return to town, at the first gathering of the shell-shocked survivors, there was virtually no processing of the layoffs. The Chairman did not even have the courtesy to show up. It was a major trustbuster, and the survivors have lost much of their motivation.
When courageous leadership was required, there was none to be found.
But when there was good news to report, they were there to communicate it and celebrate it. Rightly so. But leaving the bad news and tough conversations to others left a major stain on the integrity of the leaders involved.
