How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It: A Manager's Guide

by Mahesh Guruswamy

Overview

A manager’s guide to those unavoidable uncomfortable discussions

 

Delivering bad news is never easy, but there are ways to do it that minimize the pain for everyone involved. How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It shows business managers how to navigate these inevitable tough conversations using the best possible approaches.

 

Drawing from software executive Mahesh Guruswamy’s personal experience, this practical guide walks you through delivering bad news to employees, stakeholders, customers, and even bosses. With humor and grace, it covers, among many other topics:

 

• How to talk to an employee about an improvement plan

• How to tell a client a project is delayed

• How to give your boss less-than-glowing feedback

• How to admit that you have to break a promise

 

Although there are many books on the inspirational side of leadership and how to lead effectively in general, few tackle the less-fun but critical topic of having the unpopular but necessary conversations all managers must have, making this book essential for any leader’s library.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798886452693
Publisher:	Greenleaf Book Group Press
Publication date:	01/14/2025
Pages:	184
Sales rank:	513,791
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Mahesh Guruswamy is a seasoned product development executive who has been in the software development space for over twenty years and has managed teams of varying sizes for over a decade. He is currently the chief technology officer at Kickstarter. Before that, he was an executive running product development teams at Mosaic, Kajabi, and Smartsheet.

 

Mahesh caught the writing bug from his favorite author, Stephen King. He started out writing short stories and eventually discovered that long-form writing was a great medium to share information with product development teams. The essays he wrote over the last few years culminated in this book.

 

Mahesh is passionate about mentoring others, especially folks who are interested in becoming a people manager and newer managers who are just getting going. Anyone interested in a one-on-one coaching session with him can reach out to him at [e-mail] or connect with him on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/maheshguruswamy/).

 

Mahesh resides in Orange County with his wife, Krishma, and son, Vivaan. In his free time, you can find him either running in the trails around South Orange County or reading cosmic horror fiction.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

“Mahesh shares his firsthand experiences as a positive, practical set of guidelines for leaders. Anyone in a leadership role, be it individual contributor or leading others, will benefit immensely from his counsel. I spent most of my career brute forcing my way through my leadership journey, and I wish I had had his insights much sooner in my career. I would be a much better leader.”

—Bill Wilson, senior vice president and head of engineering at Kajabi

 

“Mahesh masterfully guides managers through the delicate art of delivering difficult news with empathy and professionalism. This treasure trove of practical wisdom is a must-read for leaders aiming to foster trust and resilience in their teams.”

—Sean Leow, chief operating officer at Kickstarter

 

“How to Deliver Bad News and Get Away with It is packed with concepts, situational guidance, and example scripts that I wish I had had in my toolbox when starting out as a first-time manager.”

—Nathan Harkenrider, chief technology officer at Vareto

 

“Mahesh is a great leader and has done an amazing job condensing years’ worth of learnings from his own experiences into this easy-to-approach book. This is a must-read for any manager looking to fast-track their career!”

—Bijan Moallemi, chief executive officer at Mosaic