职场技巧：如何把坏消息告诉老板

Breaking bad news to your boss is like being the sober sister on girl’s night; someone has to be the sacrificial lamb. While you may have trepidations about informing your supervisor that something has gone terribly, terribly wrong, the situation may be a blessing in disguise.

把坏消息告诉老板就像女生狂欢夜里有个冷静清醒的姐姐一样，总是要有人当牺牲品的。虽然要通知主管事情已经糟糕透顶会让你很担忧，但这种情况可能是因祸得福。

Employers are looking for individuals who know how to think on their feet, can adapt quickly and can communicate effectively. Reframing a work travesty by offering up solid, well-researched solution in a timely manner will prove to your boss you’re not only a thinker, but also a doer with management potential.

雇主正在寻找那些知道如何替他们思考、迅速适应能力强并能有效沟通的人。及时提供可靠的、仔细研究过的方案来重新梳理工作，会向老板证明你不只会思考，也是一个有管理能力的实干者。

So when that moment strikes and you have to break bad news to the person determining if you can to go home for the holidays, consider the following strategies:

所以，当你必须对那个能决定你是否有假期的人说出坏消息时，可以考虑以下策略：

1. Bring the whole story to the table.

1. 把整件事说清楚

Before you make a move, consider the source. Is this information coming from a credible outlet or individual? Providing disturbing yet uninformed information is problematic. Do your research (quickly!) so you can provide context to the decision-maker. Then they can make a choice on how to proceed.

在你行动之前，考虑下信息的源头。消息是来自可信的渠道还是个人？提供令人烦恼而且是非正规渠道的信息有点不妥。你要做好调查（要快！），这样就可以为决策者提供相关信息。然后他们可以选择如何做。

Knowing all the details helps frame the situation, allows for the best decision-making to occur and makes you look like a mature and informed colleague rather than an opportunistic tattletale.

知道所有细节有助于了解总体情况，可以做出最好的决策，也能使你看起来像个成熟和明智的员工，而不是投机取巧、搬弄是非的人。

2. Be an objective party.

2. 做中立的一方

Taking sides and passing blame does nothing to solve the problem. Instead, you’ll only paint yourself in a negative and self-serving manner — the complete opposite of what you want.

偏袒和推卸责任对解决问题没有帮助。相反，你只会塑造不积极和自私的个人形象——这跟你想要的完全相反。

Referencing the person at fault isn’t necessary to solving the immediate problem, and if necessary at all, should be set to the side until a solution has been found. Dodging any assertions of blame helps you to avoid looking like you’re stepping on another employee to make yourself look good. Plus, you’ll protect your working relationships with all parties involved.

把犯错的人指出来对解决眼前的问题并不一定有用，如果一定要这么做，应先放到一边直到找到了解决方案再说。不断言责任承担者能让你看起来不像是踩着别人往上爬的人。另外，你能保护所有利益相关方的工作关系。

3. Present problem-solving options.

3. 提供解决问题的方法

You’ll accomplish nothing if all you do is break bad news empty-handed. Options are necessary. To lessen the likelihood of being on the receiving end of reactionary insults, make sure to come with alternatives in hand.

如果你做的只是在什么都没准备的情况下说出坏消息，你将一无所获。解决方案是必须给的。为了减少被骂的狗血淋头的可能性，一定要有备选方案。

But keep in mind that offering effective solutions requires more than just a Google search and a few thrown-together spreadsheets. No solution can be implemented without employee energy, so assess the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each potential solution.

但请记住提供有效的解决方案需要的不仅仅是谷歌和一些东拼西凑的表格。解决方案要有员工的积极协助才能落实，所以要评估每个潜在解决方案的优势、劣势、机会和威胁。