Page 135 - The Voice of Authority

Whether talking to investors about falling stock prices,
to employees about pending mergers and job losses, to a
staff member about a skill deficiency, or to a coworker
about illness, don’t just report information or the news. Be
emotionally present. Consider the impact of the message
you’re delivering.
Never underestimate the power of engagement.

Phrase—Don’t Blurt—News in a
Sensitive Situation

The anxious family huddled outside the hospital surgical
ward, hoping for the doctor to dash by on his way back
into surgery on the older woman about to have her sec-
ond open-heart surgery in less than 10 hours. Her first
surgery had ended at 3:00 in the afternoon. The doctor
had assured the family that everything had gone well and
that she was on the road to recovery. Her husband and
children had stepped into the Intensive Care Unit to see
her for a brief five minutes.
At the 6 p.m. visiting time, the doctor would not permit
the family to see her because a few of the smaller veins were
starting to bleed and the nurses would need to watch her
closely. At 8 p.m., the doctor reported that the bleeding was
under control, that the patient was again doing well, and
that he was going home for the evening. He recommended
that the family do the same.
Within an hour, the situation changed again dramati-
cally. The patient was wheeled back into emergency sur-
gery—this time, the doctor opened her heart for the sec-
ond time to retie all the veins coming loose after the first
surgery.
As the concerned family stood in the waiting room, the
doctor came out of the second surgery after midnight to

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