Give your boss no surprises

Something slips, and you think: I will fix it before anyone notices. Usually you cannot, and your boss hears it from somebody else. Now there are two problems, and the second one is about you. New managers hide bad news because they assume good managers do not have any. The opposite is true.

This lesson is for new managers who dread telling their boss something has gone wrong. It covers what your boss is actually judging (it is not whether things go wrong), the three parts of a bad-news update that keep you looking competent, and how soon is soon enough. You get a message you can send today, and the one thing never to leave out.

Part of the Growth track. About two minutes to read, with a seven-day practice plan and a recall check a week later.