The truth and nothing but the truth...

I would never condone telling untruths. I would avoid brutal candour. It is important that we convey our message with our audience in mind. I would be careful using humour to deflate bad news: it makes the speaker look indifferent or uncaring.

Let me start by saying that YES ethics is for brave people only. Behaving ethically means that you often have to do something that will make you stand out like a sore thumb, sometimes making you a target so you have to be brave. People who are not brave are always hunkering down to protect their position at any cost only emerging after the 'kill' like vultures to lay claim to their part of the victory.

Sharing news, good or bad goes with good judgment as much as it goes with ethics. Embellishing the truth is never ethical but knowing when to share bad news is probably as more important than the bad news itself. We need to sensitive to the audience and the environment and it probably goes with the HOW you say it that was mentioned before.

Love the quote, Simona!
It is indeed a hard question; immediately, in my mind, I answered: "yes, of course!".
Then, I thought that also the organisation's values would play an important role; in high-trusted environments, being ethical is definitely more comfortable.

Hi Simona,

Thank you for your post. People always fear what would happen when they have a bad report to deliver. But honesty is always the best policy. This is especially important to remember as a leader. At the end of the day, people will remember you for your integrity and not your mistake.

Thanks Simona. A very relevant topic and I guess we all face this situation on a day to day basis. I think fearless meaning regardless of the outcome, project managers tell the truth and not sugar-coat it, as any sugar-coating believe it will come to bite us later.

Thanks