202: Legends and Losers Unlocked Go Ugly Early

On Episode 183, multi-time Silicon Valley CEO Jay Larson joined Christopher Lochhead in a dialogue that left many impressions. An executive admired by a lot of people in the marketing sphere, he said some amazing tidbits that until now Christopher looks back on. Today, the host mulls over some of the most resounding words left by the CEO of red-hot company Optimizely—to go ugly early.
"In the sage words of Jay Larson, when you have bad news, go ugly early." - Christopher Lochhead

Jay Larson - Getting to the Ugly Early
This advice is exactly the opposite of what most people would think when they have bad news waiting to be unveiled. Anyone can be guilty of delaying the inevitable, be it a CEO or a politician.

When there's bad news and they have to go on TV, they would most probably go on about things that may not be relevant to the real issue. They meander around and try to remind people about how great they are before dropping the bomb.
Undermining Yourself
When you fall prey to the bad news and don't put it right on the table, you communicate to everybody that you're not on top of it. You fail to be professional, unable to show that you have a grasp of the facts.

It doesn't matter whether you are an entrepreneur, a CEO of a company or a leader of any kind. Not dealing with and resolving a bad news upfront mean undercutting your power.
Facing the Ugly Head-on
Dishing out the good news before the bad is a disservice to both you and your constituents. This doesn’t help address the problem at all, and it reflects badly on your leadership skills and ability to manage a business situation.

By being honest with the status of your business, you will be braver in fixing the problem, and so will everyone around you. So go ugly early.

Listen and download to the episode now!

Bio / Links:

Jay Larson started in sales in Oracle and Siebel. He became Head of WW Field ops at Mercury Interactive, Head of Sales at SuccessFactors, President of Jive, CEO of Birst. And now, the CEO of red-hot Optimizely.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/larsonjay/
https://www.optimizely.com

We hope you enjoyed this episode of  Legends and Losers Unlocked Go Ugly Early! Christopher loves hearing from his listeners. Feel free to email him, connect on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and subscribe on iTunes!