Maybe your manager CAN handle the truth! An Intelligent disobedience perspective.

Leading is stressful. It’s not unusual for the pressures of the day, or the way information is presented, to lead managers to discard information they need to have.?Similar to change fatigue for staff members, issue fatigue can significantly impact a manager’s ability to deal with the truth when it isn’t good news.

So, is your manager not handling the truth? Here are some alternatives to try and get that precious truth on the table and considered properly.

Be persistent. The notion of intelligent disobedience means, sometimes, you need to be persistent and be willing to take the risk of trying to share that uncomfortable truth more than once. In fact, it may be irresponsible of you not to get your message across. When things calm down for your manager, or during a different time of day or in a calmer setting, your manager may be more prepared to accept less than ideal news. Try again.

Try a multiple-choice question. Sometimes the truth you share may be heard, but you don’t get a response that makes sense, or you get no response at all! The issue may be that your manager, under pressure, doesn’t have an acceptable answer to address what you have put on the table. ?Action from your manager may have been superseded by hesitation and fear. Try sharing your truth in the form of a problem statement, with multiple choice resolution options that your manager can consider. This can help considerably and make unhappy news much more palatable and yield a much better result. ?Better yet, provide the pros and cons for each option.?The more information you can provide your manager, the better.

Use someone else to deliver the message. As much as it shouldn’t be the case – managers sometimes weigh information provided by some people more heavily than from others. Someone else may have developed a more effective trust relationship with the manager than you currently have. So, the truth may be received differently if it comes from someone else. Consider the possibility of using a different messenger – do you know someone whom your manager regularly listens to?

Try changing the source of your information. ?Many managers weigh the information they receive by its source. While you may have a clear issue to convey, it may take someone outside of your department, or even your company to look in and confirm the truth you are trying to share. Sometimes a consultant may need to be called. Alternatively, a trusted periodical or association newsletter may provide a similar story to the truth you are trying to share. Look for other sources that are conveying the same or similar truth to get your message across.

Consider other truths. Your experience, and therefore things you perceive are true, may not be shared by others. Talk to others to ensure they are viewing the concerning situation in a similar way. If not, it may be time to reconsider your own views on what is happening, and what the opportunities and impacts are. A “larger collection of truth” from you and other people may shed a different light on the issue you are trying to share. It may not be as important as you believe it is.

Managers are human, like the rest of us. Sometimes managers are strong and capable. Sometimes they struggle and hearing bad news brings out the worst in them. Trying these alternatives is no guarantee you will get an issue resolved. But going through these alternatives can at least give you solace that you tried your best to surface a problem and get it addressed.