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Don't bother bragging.
On an episode of The Thrive Global Podcast, billionaire investor Mark Cuban shared the rule he makes all his employees and the entrepreneurs he works with follow: Start off with the bad news.Cuban likes to get regular updates from employees and entrepreneurs, he told podcast host Arianna Huffington, who is the founder and CEO of Thrive Global.
"But it's always bad news first," he said. "It's never just give me all the song and dance, and we did this, and we hired this person who's amazing."
That's not really helpful for either of you. Cuban went on:
"I assume you're going to do well. That's why I invested in you. I assume you're hiring amazing people. That's why you hire them. But where I can add value is by dealing with the problems. And so hit me with the bad news first. Let me try to help you in any way I can and then let me move on to the next one."
Cuban didn't explain exactly how he wants to get the bad news - but experts say that, if you're telling your boss about a problem you're facing, you'd best come prepared with a solution as well.
As Weebly CFO Kim Jabal previously told Business Insider, you should say something like: "We have a huge opportunity to fix something that has gone wrong. Here are a few ideas. I'd love your input."