There is only one thing worse than delivering bad news to your boss. That is not raising the red flag when you know trouble is brewing, because it is a cardinal sin to let your boss be surprised.

No organization escapes the negatives forever. Budgets are not met. Deliveries are late. Machines don't work. People are caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

It is important to your career success to learn how to deliver ill tidings, as well as how to receive them.

There are at least four major things wrong with failing to blow the whistle when stuff hits the fan.

First, ignoring bad stuff won't make it go away. It's bound to surface sooner or later, probably at the worst possible time.

Second, most problems can be fixed, wholly or in part, if addressed soon enough.

Third, left unattended, most problems simply get bigger and more difficult with time.

Fourth, when you fail to report the bad news, you are leaving your boss vulnerable to being blindsided with a problem and the accusation from his boss that he doesn't have control of his organization.

Forget any notion that you may be a hero when you have to carry the problems to your boss, no matter whos at fault. Chances are you will take some bruises; whistleblowers are not popular. In ancient times, kings cut off the heads of messengers who brought bad news.

Five Steps To Defuse The Situation

There is really no easy way to report disappoints and shortfalls; however, you can take five steps to help defuse the situations and ease the pain.

1. Have all of the facts in hand. Report them succinctly; no dodging and ducking.

2 Be patient; let the boss vent his or her anger and frustration.

3 Offer a solution, or at least some way to cut the losses.

4 Don't be defensive. If you are solely to blame, take the heat yourself; don't try to lay it off on others. However, if a group of which you are a part is at fault be sure you report in the "we" mode. Try to depersonalize the matter as much as possible.

5 Be sure to make a practice of reporting good news, too. Avoid being identified as one who always bears ill tidings.

How To Receive Bad News

Just as it is important to quickly and accurately report bad news, it is necessary to know how to handle the storm warnings that are reported to you. These four steps will help.

1. Stay calm and collected when an associate reports bad news to you. If you have a reputation of blowing up when such reports are made, you discourage the flow of information that is necessary to function as a leader.

2. Dont go off half-cocked. Gather all the facts: who, what, when, where, why? Define the locale, type and extent of the problem as quickly as possible. Assess the damage. And double-check your information.

3. Initiate damage control ASAP.

4. Report the situation to your boss in the same fashion as you expect to be reported to. If you have been able to clear up the problem, report it anyway. Get credit for handling the matter without taking up his time.

If you have not been able to eliminate the problem, explain the steps you have already taken to prevent further damage, along with your recommendations for getting rid of the cause of the problem.

Hopefully, you are working for an organization where the messenger gets shot only if he's late with the news.

Ramon Greenwood

RAMON GREENWOOD

Ramon Greenwood produces a free semi-monthly newsletter providing career advice to those who want to accelerate their careers. Contact him at ramon@commonsenseatwork.com to subscribe.

Those who know Ramon Greenwood and seek his counsel likely to describe him in such terms as "realistic" and"down-to- earth." Most agree with one of his clients who recently said, "He puts his rich and varied lode of experiences to work with an eye to results. He has the ability to make even the most complicated and formidable issues seem less forbidding and more manageable."

Another client declares: "Greenwood has been in the game, in the major leagues, for a long time. He's seen the winners and the losers up close. He knows what makes the difference between the players."

Greenwood's experiences include serving as:

• Senior Career Counselor, Common Sense At Work curently. • Senior vice president for worldwide communications at American Express; member of the board of directors of American Express Publishing Company, American Express International, Inc. and American Express Foundation. • Vice president-public affairs Consolidated Foods Corporation (now Sara Lee Corporation).

• Senior public affairs officer, U. S. Department of Transporation, during President Gerald Ford's Administration.

• Author of HOW TO MAKE THE WORLD OF WORK WORK FOR YOU and HOW TO LAND YOUR FIRST JOB. He is co-author of THE NAME OF THE GAME IS LIFE. His writings also have included a syndicated newspaper column, "Common Sense At Work"

• Wave 9 Enterprises, Inc., CEO and director ; Children On The Go, Inc., (chairman of the board and co-founder of this Chicago- based juvenile products company) ; Cranford Johnson Robinson Woods, Inc. (marketing and advertising agency), director; Simmons First National (Banking) Corporation, director and member of the corporate executive committee.

• Management consultant who counsels, speaks and writes on a variety of subjects related to career and business strategies and organizational dynamics.