When I first was hired in Oneida County , New York , in 1974 , the County Executive I worked for told me to remember two things , one of which is the focus of this article . I have tried to live by it ever since : “ If there is bad news or there are hard decisions needing my attention , it ’ s your job to tell me ; never let me find out about them from other sources . I need to trust you will always tell me what I need to know .”