The Manager’s Dilemma: Showing Leadership When Announcing Bad News to the Team

Lets forget about what ethics literature tells about how managers and team leaders should have their team members at heart. Lets imagine a scenario where management receives bad news about his team. Lets suppose that this news is important for the future of the team but that if found out by it, productivity will be seriously affected and that some members might consider quitting, which might jeopardize an important project. I believe this is a real management dilemma, one that tests their sense of ethics and forces managers to take tough decisions.

How is the good manager to deal with this situation? Should he tell his team members about what he has learned from his own bosses or keep that information for himself? In one hand, giving the info to the team will jeopardize the project and our manager won’t be a good manager. On the other hand, not sharing information with his team will make him a bad manager in the ethical sense.

Most people will say that staying loyal to his boss will be a safer option in the near future. After all, the manager is there to make sure results are delivered for the firm. But if rumors go out that he was aware of something but that he did not give notice to his team, he will build himself a reputation for being a snake. Well, my opinion is that this kind of situation is a real test on one’s leadership skills. The real question is: will the manager be able to give the bad news to his team, but still be able to motivate them in going forward, thus ensuring the projects delivery?