This is Steve Robbins.

Welcome to the Get It Done guys quick and dirty tips to work less and do more.

In my previous episode on how to make relationships in business stronger with one magic

sentence, we learned about the magic sentence, what I'm afraid to tell you is.

But just using that sentence in general, it brings up what's top of mind, and as any first-year

brain surgery resident can tell you, there's a lot more to the mind than top of mind. There's

middle of mind, bottom of mind, and right underneath that weird wiggly thing of mind. And all of that

may also be relevant. So you want to dig it all out to make sure that your check-ins are doing

justice to the entire

relationship. And while a surgeon can use a scalpel to do the digging, and Hannibal Lecter can use

his fingers, you and I have to use the magic sentence, what I'm afraid to tell you is, in

several different ways if we want to be sure that we're being complete with our check-ins and covering

all the bases. Share bad news about the business.

So first complete the sentence about your business.

It can be scary to be the bringer of bad news.

In ancient times, people would be drawn, quartered, and skinned alive for bearing bad news.

In modern corporations, we're better than that.

We welcome bad news, and we deeply appreciate the ability to take early action

on worrisome trends. Bearers of bad news are often given promotions for their courage in broaching

hard topics, and they're always promoted, admired, and given large bonuses. They earn the respect of

their friends, their family, and colleagues. Kidding! We insult them. We say they aren't team players,

and we try to get them fired. We don't draw and court of them, though, because that's illegal in most

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