Breaking bad news — help for leaders
Corinna Lines | June 11, 2026
Image by Edmond Dantès / Pexels licence
Having hard conversations is probably one of the most challenging parts of leadership.
Whether it’s discussing a budget blowout or concerns about performance, these conversations can feel uncomfortable. And even if you’re in a leadership role, you may also have to convey bad news to people in more senior positions.
Softening a message too much can create even more confusion and stress. But rushing through the conversation to avoid discomfort can make people feel dismissed or unsupported.
If you can craft a thoughtful and balanced approach, difficult conversations can be more constructive for everyone involved.
Be clear and direct
When breaking bad news at work, we often try to protect others by easing slowly into the conversation. While the intention is good, vague communication can make things worse.
Clear and direct language reduces uncertainty and prevents misunderstandings.
Think about these three ideas when planning your approach.
- Clarity: decide beforehand what you need to achieve.
- Connection: decide how best to connect with the person in a way that is sincere, authentic, and respectful.
- Empathy: put yourself in the person’s shoes and try to visualise how they might receive the message.
Use empathy more than sympathy
Communicating with empathy means listening carefully and acknowledging another person’s perspective. This approach makes people feel respected, even during difficult conversations.
Empathy and sympathy are not the same. Sympathy is more about emotions, which may be more appropriate in your personal life. Empathy involves actively trying to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, thinking about how your message will affect them and their world. Empathy is not a weakness! In fact, it’s the opposite. If you can learn to look at things through someone else’s eyes, that’s a superpower.
Use ‘I’ statements, because ‘you’ statements may make people react negatively.
- I know this may be difficult to hear.
- I understand this is frustrating.
- I appreciate the effort you’ve put into this.
Tone also matters. Criticism is easier to hear when it’s delivered calmly and respectfully.
And avoid giving sensitive feedback in rushed meetings or public settings. People need time, space, and privacy to process important conversations.
Make it safe
When we feel that something important is under threat, like our self-worth or our values, or if there’s a power imbalance, we may withdraw, get defensive, or go on the attack. If you observe these responses, it means the other person probably doesn’t feel safe. And if their guard is up, they’ll find it harder to hear the important parts of what you have to say.
So what should you do? Take a step back and think about how to restore a sense of safety for the other person. In the book ‘Crucial Conversations’ (Grenny, Patterson, McMillan, Switzler, Gregory), they talk about ‘contrasting’ as a way to restore safety. This means stating what you don’t want, followed by what you do want. For example:
I don’t want you to feel you’ve failed. I do need you to improve your time management so we don’t miss deadlines.
Focus on actions, not the person
Feedback is productive when it focuses on solutions, not the person.
Here are some examples of solution-oriented feedback.
- Five customer emails went unanswered this week. How might we improve turnaround times?
- The client left the meeting unclear about the next steps. Let’s include a summary of action points in future meetings.
- The presentation did not include the updated sales figures. Shall we add a review step before presenting to the client?
Specific feedback is also more useful. People are far more likely to respond positively when they clearly understand the issue and what needs to change.
Make the next steps clear
Difficult conversations become more manageable when people know what will happen next.
After sharing the message, explain:
- what needs to improve
- what support is available
- who is responsible
- expected timelines
- when you’ll follow up.
Knowing the next steps can give people clarity and direction during challenging times.
Good leaders communicate clearly
There’s a saying: ‘People may not remember what you said, but they will remember how you made them feel.’
Delivering bad news does not make you a bad person. But how you choose to deliver it can limit the damage. Keep it professional and respectful, and remember your empathy superpower.
Our coaching packages could help
Do you have tricky feedback to deliver about someone’s writing? We can help with next steps. Our confidential, one-to-one coaching is tailored to each person’s specific writing needs.
This blog was co-authored by Corinna Lines and Deepti Sur.