Deliver Bad News Respectfully

All the living things on earth died. . . . God wiped out every living thing on the earth. Genesis 7:21-23

This was a gruesome picture. The whole earth was covered with water. This was Katrina, Rita, and the Sri Lanka tsunami rolled into one and spread across the entire planet. There’s no way to put sugar sprinkles on the news or spin it into something it wasn’t. This was bad news, plain and simple.

As leaders, we are sometimes required to deliver bad news. There is no substitute for simply explaining the facts without hyperbole, doublespeak, or cow manure.

When your announcement will affect people’s lives or livelihoods, you owe them the respect of letting them decide what spin to put on the situation.

A pig with lipstick is still a pig.

It surely broke God’s heart to see the devastation of the flood, but he couldn’t hide from the tough decision. When it’s your turn to do the same, be compassionate, fair, and honest.