Whether you’re part of a team of two or twenty people, at some point you’ll have to deliver bad news. Maybe you’re a manager who has to talk to your employees about upcoming layoffs or you’re a consultant who has to tell a client the project is behind schedule. These types of conversations are uncomfortable and downright awkward — especially if you don’t agree with the decision. The harsh reality is it’s an unfortunate cost of doing business. Let’s say you’re a VP of a company with a team of 15 people. You have to deliver bad news to a client about a project delay. While you believe your team had enough time to meet the deadline, someone made a mistake and failed to process the order. You want to try using a new supplier to expedite the process, but your CEO prefers to use the same supplier so you don’t risk quality. Before you communicate the news to the client, here are five steps to consider: 1. Avoid  Miscommunication Though the decision to extend the deadline might be what’s...

Recently, Away Luggage Company CEO Steph Korey stepped down after an investigation by the Verge highlighted the company’s toxic work culture. From Korey reportedly using Slack to publicly critique work and label an employee “brain dead” to sending late-night messages  — Away is a case study in how not to communicate in the workplace. Like the Away company, if you have a communication problem in the workplace, chances are: Work is being duplicated (or not done at all). The finished product isn’t what you expected. There is a high turnover rate. There are recurring errors or delays in products or services. Your team is silent in meetings and no one speaks up to offer ideas or share their experiences. While it’s often second nature for managers to blame “lazy” or “incompetent” employees, frequent communication issues are often a symptom of a much deeper problem. A bad system, an outdated process or pattern of behavior from the company’s higher-ups are often the culprits. Here’s how to...