Good News and Bad News
I talk a lot about communication and how the CAD manager can define, refine, and proliferate knowledge so the entire firm knows, understands, and is informed. Keeping staff on top of the latest information and keeping management aware of your efforts is part of the job. There is a lot of information that goes back and forth, so this time I will confine it to the good and bad news areas of your communication.
GOOD NEWS
The positive news that is generated by progress is always fun to share. Everyone wants to hear about it and they share it with others. As the news travels through your organization, you need to get the word out yourself. Be sure to include your participation in the success so that others see your value to the firm.
Make Sure They Hear Good News from You
Often, CAD managers make major strides forward or tackle some really tough problems and no one hears about it. They work on short- and long-term efforts that are away from the spotlight. They produce shortcuts and workarounds for nagging troubles, with few accolades. They work in the back room and while others are focused in other directions and make small and large upgrades to proficiency.
When problems are alleviated, efforts are complete, and potholes avoided, the CAD manager needs to let others know. Managers can write newsletters and emails or just drop it into conversations and reports on their efforts. The main thing is to get the news out, while not blowing your horn over every last little tweak you do to help someone or avoid a strange failure. But you need to have a consistent way of keeping your efforts in front of staff and leadership.
Make Sure They Know Your Contribution
When discussing efforts and the generation of ideas, you need to subtly remind them of the fixes that originated in your head. Many times team members’ efforts get lost in the news. The combined efforts to make something work often come from the identification of the problem by the CAD manager. Let them know that the CAD manager (you) coordinated or managed the process of getting back on track. You should acknowledge and give credit to others and recognize their contributions, but do not fail to include yourself. I always encourage the use of “we” and “us,” but a few well-placed “I” statements can remind others that you are creative, problem solving, and focused on productivity increases. Being humble and a team player does not mean that you “never” mention what you bring to the team.
Make Sure They are Reminded about Past Good News
Good news fades fast. Just think of the news cycle on TV and other news outlets. Yesterday’s news becomes useless pretty fast. So to combat the short-term memories of your company leadership you need to blend old news into new news. I do this by reminding them of past news as a preface to fresh news. Here is an example: “Remember the cost savings achieved when my team and I reworked the plotting process last year? Well we made some additional changes that increase those savings even more.” This method reminds them of what was already accomplished as a baseline to launch into fresh good news.
BAD NEWS
Good news travels fast. Bad news travels faster. I have always kept that in mind. Letting people know the positive things that happen is a good idea, but letting people know when bad things happen is critical. It always seems like a crowd appears when things go south. Hardware failures, corrupted files, and more can derail a great project on the short term. Others can transmit these negatives quickly. You need to take control of the message when something bad is happening or has happened. Here are some reasons why.
Make Sure They Hear from You First
When something goes wrong, it is crucial that major stakeholders and your boss hear the news as soon as it can be effectively communicated. And they need to hear directly from you first, if possible. Effective communication can be done when you have enough information to deliver. If you go in without enough information, their concern level is going to rise. You should try to get to your boss before others so you can manage the story. Others may transmit incorrect information. Get to upper management early and get them up to speed. Communicate to others as soon as you have enough info on the issue. If others are connecting before you, then go in with whatever information you have at the time. Connecting to management quickly is the goal.
Make Sure They Know Your Level of Concern
If you tell others what is happening without defining your level of concern, then they start filling in the blanks and speculating on the damage. You need to have a calm, measured conversation that conveys the level of damage expected. Neither downplay it nor start wandering down the road of “what ifs.” Keep it simple, direct, honest, and calm.
Make Sure They Know You Are on Top of It
Let them know that you or your team members are working to define the problem and get it fixed. If you are still investigating, let them know what you might be looking for. If you are applying a fix, let them know what you are doing. Make sure they understand that you will get it fixed or define a short-term workaround and do whatever it takes to get things back on track.
Make Sure They Know You Have a Plan
If they need more information, then just lay out your plan of attack. Let them know that you are analyzing the problem, defining options for remediation, scoping the damage, outlining repairs, and applying them quickly. Just knowing that you have a systematic approach to fixing troubles will give management comfort.
Keep Management Informed
If the trouble is going to extend past expected impacts, circle back and let folks know what the problem is, how long it might last, and how your workaround will get things moving forward. Give them a tentative time/date for the final solution and what you have in process to get there. If you think it might take money to fix the problem, let them know early with a framework budget. If this was a recurring problem and you were limited in getting the solution in place because of money or staff, let them know. This is not “rubbing their noses in it” but is just a small reminder that you previously identified the problem, had a fix, and were prevented from putting it in place prior to a system failure.
When It Is Fixed, Make Sure They Know
Do not forget to debrief everyone after the fix is in place. Once things are back online, check back in and let everyone know the full story of what the problem was, what it took to fix it, who helped get it back in line, and that it is working now. Let all end users know that things are back on track.
Share Lessons Learned
When you are letting them know it is fixed, also share any lessons learned. Like budgeting for troubles so that money is around for quick fixes. Or maybe how you have adjusted the reporting process for small troubles so they do not become big ones. Or maybe it is putting in place a maintenance contract that was previously not approved.
CONCLUSION
Sharing good news is fun. Sharing bad news is critical. Take control of both. Keep people informed and aware of your management efforts. Stay out front.
