Every sales manager says the same thing. "Tell me early if there is a problem."
Then a rep tells them early, and gets a lecture in front of the team.
After that, the team learns the real rule. Keep bad news until the month closes.
Amy Edmondson calls the opposite of this psychological safety: a shared belief that it is safe to speak up with a question, a concern or a mistake.
In a field team, you can see which one you have.
When a key doctor switches, does the rep hope it comes back before the review, or say it the same week and ask for help?
When a rep asks a basic question, is there silence, or "Good question. Who else has seen this?"
When something goes wrong, is the first question "Who did this?" or "What happened, and what do we change?"
And what do you hear as a manager: good news until the month closes, or problems while there is still time to act?
The most useful thing I have learned here is small. Thank the rep who brings bad news. Say it out loud. The whole team is watching what happens to that person.
“If your team only brings you good news, look at how you receive the bad.”
Lesson 13 of 19 in Step 5: Motivating and building the team, with the full guide and a checklist for this week.