I Love Delivering Bad News

Bad news gets a bad wrap. I think it’s a gift to give someone news that many consider, “bad.” And if we're honest with ourselves, I think “bad” news is often the most valuable. Precisely because it is so rarely received. Here are a couple of examples:

Do NOT get married. A friend of mine was recently in a long-term relationship. He told me he was thinking about proposing and asked me what I thought. So, I told him. I love him, and she’s not the one.

Your business is failing. A good friend of mine is smart by any measure. Unfortunately, after several years of fighting, her company was not succeeding. She asked me what she should change to improve things. I responded by asking her if she had thought about shutting the business down and trying something else. She’s too talented not to succeed. 

I used to think being honest was not a good idea if it would hurt someone’s feelings. But then I realized that I had it backward. It’s much more hurtful to a friend if you’re not honest.