Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity is just out, about why greater candor makes for greater bosses. Scott, whose impressive career includes management roles at Google and Apple, says, “I was raised in the South to not say what I thought. But I knew that pulling my punches wasn’t helping those I saw about to fail at something.”
More lists with this book...
rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management, Radical Candor. Radical Candor is a simple idea: to be a good boss, you have to Care Personally at the same time that you Challenge Directly. When you challenge without caring its obnoxious aggression; when you care without challenging its ruinous. Kim’s storytelling in Radical Candor is great; her career spans failed start ups to Google to Apple. Along the way she describes how a leader must first show that they care personally before they can challenge directly. I hope this podcast continues to inspire leaders to be more radically candor.
Interestingly, the “boss” relationship is relatively new in human history. We went from slavery to bureaucracy, and on into the modern day understanding of capitalism and a supervisor. The boss relationship hasn’t gotten due attention across philosophy, literature, movies, and all of the other ways we explore relationships that govern our lives. Says Scott, “I knew that being a great boss had to mean saying what you really think in a way that still let people know you care.”
In my own research, I have found one of the ways the most successful leaders distinguish themselves is by building great relationships with colleagues. They have unwavering reputations for being genuine, caring, and reliably honest. Unfortunately, global research from Edelman’s Trust barometer reveals that despite integrity being the most desired leadership quality, only about 25% of people think their bosses actually have it. Scott says, “Relationships are the core building block of doing work you love. If you can’t love the people you work with or for, it’s unlikely you’ll love the work very long. Honest feedback is the atomic building block of good management. There is nothing more damaging to human relationships than an imbalance of power. Candor is the honest broker of truth that neutralizes the imbalance.”
The workplace is yearning for candid bosses, yet bosses continue falling short. To turn the tide, Scott defines two fundamental dimensions of radical candor. They are “challenging directly” and “caring personally.” One without the other creates counterfeit behaviors that too many bosses deceive themselves into thinking are actually good. These are ruinous empathy, manipulative insincerity, and obnoxious aggression. Too many bosses settle for radical candor’s cheap knock offs. We’re all guilty of sliding into these categories from time to time, so pay attention to the ones you know you’re susceptible to.
Ruinous empathy…when you care too much. Says Scott, “We’re conditioned from an early age to avoid hurting people’s feelings. It’s not a bad impulse to protect people’s feelings, but it’s a short-lived protection. You need to rise above your empathy and realize that it’s your own feelings you are protecting, not theirs.” To get past ruinous empathy, leaders must recognize that indulging near-term empathy ignores long term implications. You could be setting people up for bigger failure, and more hurt feelings, later. Convincing yourself that “it will all work out” absent your intervention is simply denial. Think about how they will feel when their shortfalls prove fatal and you have to fire them. I recently had a client who’d felt uneasy in their new role for about a year finally ask their boss for feedback. Since “results were good,” he’d assumed he’d hear good news. To his shock, his boss unloaded a laundry list of unmet expectations, which he’d never been told about.. Now devastated, he asked his boss, “Why didn’t you tell me any of these things sooner?” the boss lamely replied, “That’s a fair question. I just figured it was a new job so you’d eventually get the hang of things.”
Obnoxious aggression…the art of a blunt instrument. Scott says, “Often, leaders go here because they are so focused on the work, they’ve forgotten there’s a human being doing the work.” Sadly, in its extreme form, bosses that publicly degrade people, or give them the cold shoulder, also fall into this category. But the vast majority of obnoxious aggression is just results-orientation run amuck. Many such leaders actually do care on some basic level, but have failed to learn to show it. Scott says, “I regret to say that if you can’t be radically candid, being obnoxiously aggressive is the second best thing you can do. At least then people know where you stand, so your team can achieve results. This explains the advantage that assholes seem to have in the world.” People would rather work for a competent jerk and know where they stand than work for a nice, but incompetent boss, whose niceness prevents honesty.
Manipulative insincerity…when you care too much about yourself. By and large, these are the cowards. They are so obsessed with being liked, pleasing others, and maintaining follower’s loyalty, that they won’t dare risk disrupting any of it with the truth. Scott says, “Manipulatively insincere people think they can gain some sort of political advantage by being fake, or do so when they are just too tired to care. These leaders never say what they actually think. They just attempt to push people’s emotional buttons in return for some personal gain.” This is the boss who thinks, “I’m just going to tell him the report was fine because I don’t have the time to explain why it was so bad. Next time, I’ll just have someone else do it.”
Now let’s look at the two sides of radical candor that great bosses use.
Radical candor. Says Scott, “To have good relationships, you have to care about others as human beings. It’s not just business; it is personal.” Caring personally means to embrace the full humanity of those we lead, and allowing them to embrace ours. Using phrases like “Keep it professional” or “don’t take this personally” are insulting. They deny the truth that we are human beings with feelings, and our work is a personal expression of our identity. Says Scott, “It’s about acknowledging that we have lives and aspirations that extend beyond those related to our shared work. It’s about finding time for real conversations and getting to know one another at a human level. Only when you actually care about the whole person with your whole self can you have a relationship.”
The second part of radical candor, challenging directly, involves telling people in caring, non-judgmental language when their work is falling short. For many bosses, the fear of defensive, angry reactions, or estrangement from those we lead causes them to avoid the truth people are hungry for. But Scott says, “It’s true, challenging people generally pisses them off. But challenging people is the way you can help them improve, and when you’re the boss, it’s one of the best ways to show you care.” Great bosses get past their angst about delivering tough messages. Because when it comes to relationships of enduring regard, you can’t fake it. If your feedback is in their best interest, they will know it. Even if hearing it pinches, they will still “get” your caring intent. If there’s a hint of judgment or superiority, or any reason to wonder about your motive, the message will fail the credibility test, and you with it. Avoid long wind-ups. Don’t sandwich the hard message between cheesy compliments to soften it. And don’t dodge the conversation. Bad news doesn’t get better with age. Allowing people to fail when everyone else is watching isn’t kind; it’s cruel. One of the greatest gifts you can give those you lead is the truth about where their contributions can improve.
The kinds of relationships and results that can be achieved by radical candor are not trivial. It’s the difference between people punching a clock and people striving to realize their own, and your organization’s, dreams. As a boss, or an aspiring professional, choose radical candor over its forgeries. Says Scott, “Deep and meaningful relationships are the way out of the mess we’ve made of the workplace, and the world. Being willing to disagree because you care is the greatest sign of respect you can show others . Ignoring others by ignoring the truth is not.”
Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.
Start by marking “Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity” as Want to Read:
Rate this book
See a Problem?
We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Radical Candor by Kim Malone Scott.
Not the book you’re looking for?Preview — Radical Candor by Kim Malone Scott
From the time we learn to speak, we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. While this advice may work for everyday life, it is, as Kim Scott has seen, a disaster when adopted by managers.
Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google and then decamped to Apple, where she developed a class on optimal management. Sh...more
Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google and then decamped to Apple, where she developed a class on optimal management. Sh...more
Published March 14th 2017 by St. Martin's Press
To see what your friends thought of this book,please sign up.
To ask other readers questions aboutRadical Candor,please sign up.
Recent Questions
The People's Library for Success 292 books — 493 voters
CREW San Diego Book Club List 7 books — 5 voters
More lists with this book...
Rating details
|
As I worked my way through this book I wanted to hate it. It had enough of the grating Silicon Valley meets Ted talk tropes to assume it lacked substance. Name dropping of personal relationships with Larry Page and Sheryl Sandburg? Check. Quoting Steve Jobs and Fred Kofman? Check. Simplistic diagrams with arrows and what feels like modern Clip Art? Check.
But as much as I wanted to hate the book, it actually has solid substance. I've seen many of the practices discussed in the book used in person...more
But as much as I wanted to hate the book, it actually has solid substance. I've seen many of the practices discussed in the book used in person...more
Radical Candor is written for managers/bosses, but I'd recommend it for anyone in the workplace. Kim Scott's observations have wide application, and do a great job of prioritizing the need to treat everyone as a human being first-and-foremost. The title (as the cover image suggests) refers to the ideal quadrant on a chart with two axes: 'care personally' and 'challenge directly'. It is important to care about the people you work with, but easy to let that care stifle the need to be honest with t...more
Jan 31, 2017Dean Hachamovitch rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
I wish I had a time machine to send this book with a heartfelt “please read” note back in time to myself and to leaders, colleagues, and teams I worked with over the years.
Kim’s book offers an approach, mental models, and a point of view that are useful, practical, and applicable for bosses and teams. (Typically I’d say leaders or managers; I’m reflecting her language here out of respect.)
Her writing and approach demonstrate strong awareness of the challenges inherent in this topic: the range o...more
Kim’s book offers an approach, mental models, and a point of view that are useful, practical, and applicable for bosses and teams. (Typically I’d say leaders or managers; I’m reflecting her language here out of respect.)
Her writing and approach demonstrate strong awareness of the challenges inherent in this topic: the range o...more
Overly-repetitive business books are the hill I'm dying on now, I guess. Per most books in the genre, the best is always saved for last. In this case, the final three chapters are the most valuable and actionable.
Aug 16, 2017Willian Molinari rated it really liked it
A book every boss should read. It helps to create a culture of giving and receiving honest feedback and create great teams. It has many truths, you will notice many of them if you're working for a big company. You may not agree with some parts of it depending on how you see work and people but if you really care about people careers and the performance of your team it makes a lot of sense.
Here are my notes about this book:
* At apple, we hire people to tell us what to do, not the other way around...more
Here are my notes about this book:
* At apple, we hire people to tell us what to do, not the other way around...more
Great book, minus one star for all the name dropping.
Takeaways:
1. Radical candor = Care personally + challenge directly
2. Care personally starts with career discussions and good 1:1s
3. Challenge directly starts with asking for and taking criticism well yourself
4. Listen -> Clarify -> Debate -> Decide -> Persuade -> Learn, in that order
Takeaways:
1. Radical candor = Care personally + challenge directly
2. Care personally starts with career discussions and good 1:1s
3. Challenge directly starts with asking for and taking criticism well yourself
4. Listen -> Clarify -> Debate -> Decide -> Persuade -> Learn, in that order
Jun 07, 2019Simon Eskildsen rated it really liked it
I thought this would be a book about just the concept of Radical Candor: to give feedback early and often, by both being direct and it coming through that you care about the person personally. The book gets a lot of shit because it's been misused in phrases such as: 'Let me be radically candid with you, [feedback that is direct but does not demonstrate you care about the person's growth].' However, it turned out to be one of, if not the, best management book I have read. It is filled to the brin...more
Feb 10, 2017Bill rated it it was amazing
No time for a full review right now. Suffice it to say 'Radical Candor' is one of the best books I've ever read about the science or art of managing people and teams. I started reading because of the radical candor approach to providing praise and criticism, and was amazed how the book covers so many aspects of day-to-day managing,
Highly recommended!!!
Highly recommended!!!
'Here's what Google and Apple do. Also Twitter. I don't know anybody at Facebook'
There's a lot of good content here. But the author's advice isn't always consistent with the stated ideals. For example, there are many suggestions that sound like servant leadership, and many of these are solid and awesome. But there are as many or more pieces of advice advocating for a top-down, hierarchical style of management, including the author's frequent use of constructions such as 'soandso reported to me' and 'I had 100 people reporting to me,' and so on.
I found this inconsistency puz...more
I found this inconsistency puz...more
May 02, 2017Irina Stanescu rated it it was amazing
Great book about management! Some new concepts and some heavily inspired from the Google management culture, which I've been fortunate enough to witness (and be part of for a brief period).
The key takeaway for me was learning how to move up on the 'challenging directly' scale, while still 'caring personally'. Give people both praise and criticism as often as possible, don't wait for a perf cycle to come, and don't wait for them to ask for feedback. Same thing applies for asking for feedback. The...more
Aug 01, 2018AmyThe key takeaway for me was learning how to move up on the 'challenging directly' scale, while still 'caring personally'. Give people both praise and criticism as often as possible, don't wait for a perf cycle to come, and don't wait for them to ask for feedback. Same thing applies for asking for feedback. The...more
![Pdf Pdf](/uploads/1/2/4/2/124211822/207601826.jpg)
Shelves: favorites, audio, made-me-think, recommended-to-me, management
Giving and receiving criticism are two of the most difficult parts of being a boss. This book takes that reality and addresses it head on. I really, really enjoyed and appreciated it. It is somewhat niche as the author's main case studies come from Google, Apple, and Twitter. However, a lot of the principles she mention carry over into every day life. Even as someone not currently managing people I found a lot of her principles just good advice for every day relationships.
One thing I particular...more
One thing I particular...more
Mar 05, 2017KJ Grow rated it it was amazing
I heard this author speak at a conference and thought her presentation was compelling, especially as I am someone who has a tendency toward the 'ruinous empathy' realm and struggles with challenging directly. I read this book right before our annual performance review cycle and ended up having some of the most productive, illuminating conversations with my direct reports I've ever had. I really appreciated that the anecdotes and examples in the book were personal and real-world, not the fuzzy, u...more
Oct 24, 2017Nikolay rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
Most versatile, yet simplest management book I’ve read. The main strategy is to put the relationships with the people you work with first – try to be clearer with them and care more.
In addition to the grand strategy of “challenge directly and care personally” the specific tactics Kim Scott offered made a lot of sense and in the months after finishing the book I’ve tried many of them with mild to great success.
In addition to the grand strategy of “challenge directly and care personally” the specific tactics Kim Scott offered made a lot of sense and in the months after finishing the book I’ve tried many of them with mild to great success.
Hands down the best business book that I have ever read. It simply validated my
thoughts on management and I like when books reaffirm my beliefs. Haha. I truly believe that every boss needs to read this. It's a game changer.
thoughts on management and I like when books reaffirm my beliefs. Haha. I truly believe that every boss needs to read this. It's a game changer.
Jun 30, 2018Nathaniel rated it really liked it · review of another edition
I read this book over a year ago, but I didn't get the notes I took transcribed into Evernote until today, so my overall memory / impressions are hazy, but I do have some specific reminders of the book.
One of the things that I liked the most about it was that I really like hearing from people who have worked hard in practical jobs. Too much of our conversation and impression about modern life is driven by precisely the people who know the least about it: academics and creatives. Academics work h...more
One of the things that I liked the most about it was that I really like hearing from people who have worked hard in practical jobs. Too much of our conversation and impression about modern life is driven by precisely the people who know the least about it: academics and creatives. Academics work h...more
Mar 23, 2019Yevgeniy Brikman rated it really liked it
The content in this book is superb and critical for any leader. The delivery of that content could have been a bit better. So I found this book well worth reading, but I also had to re-read many parts of it, as I often found myself tuning out (either due to slightly sloppy writing or because some of the content felt like filler to pad out the book). If you're short on time, you can find some of (but not all!) the most important content from the book delivered much more effectively in this 30 min...more
It answers one question – how to be a great boss. And it does it well.
I should have read this book a long time ago. I was happy to find I was doing some of the things, but there were so many more I haven't considered or appreciated in importance. I will be rereading it soon.
The idea is simple – first, you should care personally about the people that report for you, but second, and as important, you should challenge them directly. You're not doing anybody a favour by not telling them when they do...more
I should have read this book a long time ago. I was happy to find I was doing some of the things, but there were so many more I haven't considered or appreciated in importance. I will be rereading it soon.
The idea is simple – first, you should care personally about the people that report for you, but second, and as important, you should challenge them directly. You're not doing anybody a favour by not telling them when they do...more
Jan 10, 2019Colin Gooding rated it really liked it
I already knew a lot of the main talking points here from co-workers and I like to think that I'm both empathetic and honest in my conversations with others already, but the book has a lot of little tips on how to be more constructive with feedback without being mean and highlights a lot of a good examples of how to use Radical Candor in different situations.
Kim Scott has had an interesting career, working for several different high profile companies, so it's interesting to hear her perspective...more
Kim Scott has had an interesting career, working for several different high profile companies, so it's interesting to hear her perspective...more
What to say about this book? I didn't enjoy it. Not. One. Bit. I stopped reading it for quite some time, but I had to finish it for a corporate book club. For clarity, that was the ONLY REASON why I finished it. This is a giant book of 8 chapters, three of which just re-hash, revisit, and repeat the first 3 chapters as if the reader had no short term memory and required another briefing of the subjects covered.
A boss is a boss, a manager is a manager, and while it's true no one wants to work fo...more
A boss is a boss, a manager is a manager, and while it's true no one wants to work fo...more
This book is SO great. Even though many of the examples are taken from companies like Google and Apple and Silicon Valley startups, the concepts and activities are completely applicable in most workplaces. I would HIGHLY recommend this to new supervisors, long-standing supervisors, folks aspiring to be supervisors, and even folks who just want to learn better communication skills. I will certainly be working to be radically candid from here on out.
Nov 06, 2017Paige rated it it was amazing
The central concept/framework is gold. I'm giving it five stars pretty much just for that one chapter. I also really appreciated how extensive the 'how-to' section was - half the book! Love the focus on actually changing behavior.
I didn't love everything about this book, but now that I'm done with the library copy I'm ordering one for myself. So that's an automatic five stars.
I didn't love everything about this book, but now that I'm done with the library copy I'm ordering one for myself. So that's an automatic five stars.
Great content, and I happen to agree wholeheartedly with most of what the author advocates. There are some practical tools here that would definitely generate great discussions... I'll take some of it to my own leadership team. That said, this could have been an article. And - as has been previously mentioned - there's a ton of self-congratulation and name dropping in this book.
One of the best books I’ve ever read. Finished audiobook and ordered a paperback to have it handy.
Loved Kim’s voice and intonation, I even can forgive her neglecting HRs here and there :)
But seriously great advice in every sentence. Must read for everyone working in a team, not just managers. If all people would start moving towards radical candor the world would become a better place.
Loved Kim’s voice and intonation, I even can forgive her neglecting HRs here and there :)
But seriously great advice in every sentence. Must read for everyone working in a team, not just managers. If all people would start moving towards radical candor the world would become a better place.
Mar 05, 2018Ethan rated it really liked it
Fav quote on feedback: “You need to do that in a way that does not call into question your confidence in their abilities but leaves not too much room for interpretation … and that’s a hard thing to do.” - Jobs
Part of me wants to give this 3 stars, and I am glad that I finished this book - mainly because I am glad to be finished with this book! A weirdly tough read that I could only read small amounts at a time, and I almost gave up on it when she wanted to hire her babysitter to work at Google (far too reminiscent of 'Nanny-Gate' for those who have worked where I have previously - you know what I am talking about - the author casts herself as 'one of those' people. Maybe a boss, but not a leader).
Th...more
Th...more
Jul 23, 2017RJ rated it really liked it
Teamwork depends on communication. Alignment, autonomy, and accountability—the building blocks of happy, productive teams—won’t happen without it. Nor will useful feedback, or personnel conversations that are anything more than downright uncomfortable. Small surprise, then, that Kim Scott’s Radical Candor measures managers by their ability to share timely, direct criticism, and devotes its bulk to helping them deliver.
The first rule of Radical Candor is to “care personally.” Readers won’t need S...more
The first rule of Radical Candor is to “care personally.” Readers won’t need S...more
Jun 11, 2018Jacques Bezuidenhout rated it liked it · review of another edition
Listened to the audiobook narrated by the author.
As an audiobook, I think a professional narrator might have been better.
I get that Kim does a lot of public speaking, but there is something about her voice that just came across as whiny throughout the book. Even knowing the content first-hand, it sounded like a reading.
The book started of pretty well, and the concept of radical candor getting explained was intriguing.
But from about half way it becomes a bit of a drag. Repeating things and steeri...more
As an audiobook, I think a professional narrator might have been better.
I get that Kim does a lot of public speaking, but there is something about her voice that just came across as whiny throughout the book. Even knowing the content first-hand, it sounded like a reading.
The book started of pretty well, and the concept of radical candor getting explained was intriguing.
But from about half way it becomes a bit of a drag. Repeating things and steeri...more
Aug 05, 2017Veselin Nikolov rated it it was amazing
Kim Scott offers a toolset for managing teams. The fundamental idea in the book - to be clear, not mean is simple, but it covers a lot more than that. The toolset is backed by experience and good examples, not by concrete science. I'd usually take this approach with a grain of salt but it resonated with my own experience and some problems I encountered and struggled with. Kim Scott has achieved a lot with her approach and we can learn from her success.
My biggest take is about clarity and relatio...more
My biggest take is about clarity and relatio...more
I found lots of great nuggets for the human side of management. I've since had several of my grad students read it, and they have found it equally helpful. Full of great tips, stories, and a perspective that focuses on your employees. Rock stars and super stars. How to get buy in on decisions. Etc.
topics | posts | views | last activity |
---|---|---|---|
Goodreads Librari...:Please add 'cover' for Radical Candor audio book | 3 | 14 | Sep 16, 2018 10:46PM |
Goodreads Librari...:Radical Candor Author | 3 | 17 | Jun 07, 2017 07:52AM |
CMLE Librarian Pr...:*April 2017 Book Radical Candor | 2 | 8 | Apr 27, 2017 11:53AM |
Recommend It | Stats | Recent Status Updates
See similar books…
See top shelves…
Kim Scott is the author of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. Kim is also the co-founder and CEO of Candor, Inc., which builds tools to make it easier to follow the advice she offers in the book. She is also the author of three novels.
Prior to founding Candor, Inc., Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other Silicon Valley companies. She was...more
Prior to founding Candor, Inc., Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and several other Silicon Valley companies. She was...more
“Make sure that you are seeing each person on your team with fresh eyes every day. People evolve, and so your relationships must evolve with them. Care personally; don’t put people in boxes and leave them there.” — 6 likes
“A good rule of thumb for any relationship is to leave three unimportant things unsaid each day.” — 4 likes
More quotes…