How to deliver bad news

How to deliver bad news:

Deliver it quickly. Don't wait until you've solved the problem. If it's a critical issue, don't even wait until you fully understand the problem. Share what you know as soon as you know it. Not doing so wastes precious time.

Don't bury the lede. If sharing via email, the problem itself should be the first sentence. You lose time and attention by making people search through a long preamble and explanation for what really matters. Problem first.

Give context, but not excuses. Once the bad news is stated, give some background on how it happened and why (if you know).

Offer potential solutions if you have them. If you don't, ask for help. The person receiving the news would much rather have you request help than find out later that you needed it and didn't ask, thereby protracting the problem.

Apologize, especially if you or your team's actions were responsible. Show empathy for the recipient having to deal with bad news.

Once urgency has passed, reflect. What could you have done differently to prevent or react? We often neglect these chances to get better - don't miss the chance to improve.