How Good Are You At Delivering Bad News?

Using the following scale, rate each expectation of credible leaders in two ways:

How well do you think you are doing at meeting the expectation?

What might others think about how well you are meeting the expectation?

SCALE: 1 = significant improvement needed; 2 = slight improvement needed; 3 = skilled/competent; 4 = talented; 5 = outstanding: a role model

Expectation	How Do You Think You Are Doing?	What Might Others Think?
Effectively deals with individuals whose behavior undermines teamwork or partnerships.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Effectively works through conflicts to create positive solutions.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Confronts and deals with integrity problems (regardless of personal risk).	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Provides constructive feedback that is specific, timely, behavioral, and balanced.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Is clear and upfront with bad news (no hidden agendas).	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Creates a safe environment for sharing bad news.	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
Encourages others to share bad news (does not shoot the messenger).	1 2 3 4 5	1 2 3 4 5
My Scores:

Scoring yourself: Add your total for each column. Asingle column score of 31 to 35 suggests that you are doing an exceptional job and meeting others’ expectations of someone who knows how to deliver bad news well. Acolumn score of 26 to 30 indicates that you have some areas for improvement; on issues important as these, I believe leaders should strive to be “outstanding: a role model.” Below 26 indicates a danger area, and you may be chipping away at your credibility. Adiscrepancy of more than 8 points between the two column totals indicates a possible gap in perception worth investigating. If your “How do you think you are doing?” score is higher than your “What might others think?” score, your intentions may be better than your actions. If your “What might others think?” score is higher, you may not be giving yourself enough credit for a job well done.

When leaders do not deliver tough information such as constructive performance feedback, they are often holding back for reasons that are unsound.