How Do You Deliver Bad News?

Entrepreneurship comes with plenty of highs—and lows. Business owners have to not only absorb the problem but tell everyone else, too. We asked six leaders: How did you handle sharing the hardest news of your career?

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1/ With a promise. “After the economic meltdown of 2008, we couldn’t afford to keep everyone on staff. Picking who stays and who goes is one of the most difficult decisions you have to make as CEO. I delivered the news with honesty and empathy at an all-hands meeting. We gave some severance, referral to an employment service, and a personal reference. We also gave the option to rejoin our team once things were back on track, and some did! It was a homecoming of sorts, a healing moment.”

—ORI EISEN, founder and CEO, Trusona