Avionics News February 2013 - 54
series
BUSINESS BASICS
B Y
G R E G
L A S L O
The Toughest Job
How to Break Bad News to Employees and Customers
I
’ve got some good news and
some bad news.
The bad news is you’ll eventually have to break bad news. The
good news is there’s a way to do it
that you should probably learn.
And just so you know, this isn’t
it.
As often as we must relay this
kind of information – in business
and in life – one might think we
would be better at this task. Yet,
we’re not.
Personally, I have seen some
colossally ham-handed efforts. I
had a colleague fired by email –
not a, “we regret to inform you”
kind of email, but through an
at-large email to all employees
announcing the departure. And
another person reported for work
and found his personal items in
boxes and the replacement unpacking. A third was informed publically of her demotion in a companywide meeting.
Oh, and then there was the
instance when a co-worker died.
As you can expect, events like
these reverberate through compa54
avionics news
•
february
2013
nies, and each requires handling
with kid gloves. Nothing kills
employee morale like callous
leadership. And nothing steams
a customer like a company that’s
flubbed an important communica-
S = Setting Up
P = Perception
I = Invitation
K = Knowledge
E = Emotions
S = Strategy
tion. But things happen: a shop
faces financial problems, a customer’s install goes sideways and
someone has to lose the pitch for
new business. Occasionally, good
people suffer bad things.
As an oncologist, Dr. Robert
Buckman often had to break the
worst kind of news, and he realized
that even doctors at the top of their
fields struggled with this part of
their job – which, apparently, they
were supposed to know intuitively.
His solution, the SPIKES model,
gives a step-by-step structure to
the conversation. It’s an approach
the corporate world, including the
likes of PricewaterhouseCoopers,
IBM and Pepsi, has found useful
for similar reasons.
Something this important should
have a game plan that gives you
confidence to lead the conversation respectfully and productively.
“Do it poorly, and people will
never forgive you,” Buckman
told Entrepreneur magazine in
June 2011, a few months before
his death. “Do it well, and they’ll
never forget you.”
So here’s how it works.
S = Setting Up
You must prepare, because it’s
a high-stakes conversation. Gird
yourself emotionally for this genuinely miserable task. Draft what
Avionics News February 2013
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News February 2013
Point of Communication
AEA Now
The View From Washington
International News and Regulatory Updates
Portable Powerhouses, VHF to GPS
Member Profile
Wires, Cables, & Connectors
Avionics News Through the Years
The Place To Be
A Conversation With...
Member Profile
AEAviators
Develop Your Best Salesperson
Business Basics
Trailblazer
What's New
Marketplace Classifieds
Before & After
Avionics News February 2013 - Intro
Avionics News February 2013 - Cover1
Avionics News February 2013 - Cover2
Avionics News February 2013 - 1
Avionics News February 2013 - 2
Avionics News February 2013 - 3
Avionics News February 2013 - Point of Communication
Avionics News February 2013 - 5
Avionics News February 2013 - AEA Now
Avionics News February 2013 - 7
Avionics News February 2013 - 8
Avionics News February 2013 - 9
Avionics News February 2013 - 10
Avionics News February 2013 - 11
Avionics News February 2013 - 12
Avionics News February 2013 - 13
Avionics News February 2013 - The View From Washington
Avionics News February 2013 - 15
Avionics News February 2013 - International News and Regulatory Updates
Avionics News February 2013 - 17
Avionics News February 2013 - 18
Avionics News February 2013 - 19
Avionics News February 2013 - Portable Powerhouses, VHF to GPS
Avionics News February 2013 - 21
Avionics News February 2013 - 22
Avionics News February 2013 - 23
Avionics News February 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News February 2013 - 25
Avionics News February 2013 - 26
Avionics News February 2013 - 27
Avionics News February 2013 - Wires, Cables, & Connectors
Avionics News February 2013 - 29
Avionics News February 2013 - 30
Avionics News February 2013 - 31
Avionics News February 2013 - 32
Avionics News February 2013 - 33
Avionics News February 2013 - Avionics News Through the Years
Avionics News February 2013 - 35
Avionics News February 2013 - The Place To Be
Avionics News February 2013 - 37
Avionics News February 2013 - 38
Avionics News February 2013 - 39
Avionics News February 2013 - 40
Avionics News February 2013 - 41
Avionics News February 2013 - A Conversation With...
Avionics News February 2013 - 43
Avionics News February 2013 - Member Profile
Avionics News February 2013 - 45
Avionics News February 2013 - 46
Avionics News February 2013 - 47
Avionics News February 2013 - AEAviators
Avionics News February 2013 - 49
Avionics News February 2013 - Develop Your Best Salesperson
Avionics News February 2013 - 51
Avionics News February 2013 - 52
Avionics News February 2013 - 53
Avionics News February 2013 - Business Basics
Avionics News February 2013 - 55
Avionics News February 2013 - 56
Avionics News February 2013 - 57
Avionics News February 2013 - Trailblazer
Avionics News February 2013 - 59
Avionics News February 2013 - 60
Avionics News February 2013 - 61
Avionics News February 2013 - 62
Avionics News February 2013 - 63
Avionics News February 2013 - 64
Avionics News February 2013 - 65
Avionics News February 2013 - What's New
Avionics News February 2013 - 67
Avionics News February 2013 - 68
Avionics News February 2013 - 69
Avionics News February 2013 - Marketplace Classifieds
Avionics News February 2013 - 71
Avionics News February 2013 - Before & After
Avionics News February 2013 - Cover3
Avionics News February 2013 - Cover4
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