How to Deliver Bad News Without Becoming the Scapegoat

Leaders often shoot the messenger, especially when the news is unwelcome. Here’s how to build a speak-up culture – and coach employees to deliver hard truths without becoming outcasts

For more on how to facilitate courageous conversations and foster a culture where people speak up, check out my intensive course, How to Build a Fearless Culture Program.

Marcos Osorio/Stocksy

Leaders have never welcomed bad news. In ancient courts, those returning with grim battlefield reports risked losing their lives, as if killing the messenger would somehow change reality.

Fast-forward to today: We’ve swapped thrones for board chairs, but the impulse to punish those who deliver bad news still permeates the workplace.

“You can kill the messenger, but not the message.”

Today’s messengers aren’t delivering news of lost battles but project delays or customer complaints. And yet, their fate feels just as brutal — a career death by a thousand cuts of blame, silence, or subtle isolation. This culture of denial comes at a steep cost, with companies losing billions as employees stay silent.

So, how can you create a culture that welcomes, rather than punishes, messengers?

The Psychological Weigh…