Bend the truth; let bad news surface alone
You bend the truth to look good and let people find out bad news on their own, paying for it later when small problems rot into emergencies.
Hold back, then vent or blurt
You swing between holding back hard truths to keep the peace and venting to third parties or blurting things out too bluntly when frustrated, followed by regret and awkward resets.
Honest on normal weeks; sugarcoat under pressure
In a normal week, you muster the willpower to communicate honestly and give useful feedback. Under tight deadlines or with intimidating people, you delay bad news or sugarcoat the message until the core point gets lost.
Flag risk at once; facts apart from judgment
You use clear principles—flagging bad news the moment a risk appears and separating objective facts from personal judgment—to speak directly and respectfully right away, including to people above you. If your delivery lands poorly under stress, you clarify and repair it quickly.
Invite hard truths; name what the room avoids
You actively invite hard truths from others and thank the person who brings them. You calmly name the uncomfortable reality in a room when everyone else is tiptoeing around it, and when a candid conversation goes sideways, you come back for a second try and adjust how you frame hard truths next time.