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Podcast Episode 14: Guide for New Managers
Maybe you're a first-time manager at a new company. Maybe you've been promoted within your current company. Either way, you probably have a lot of questions about how to work best with your team and get the best results. Rest assured, Kim and Russ are here to help. Listen now: This Episode at a Glance Kim and Russ have worked with many new managers and gotten a sense for the challenges of transitioning from an individual contributor role into a…
Ruinous Empathy and Recruiting, A Story
Seven years ago, before launching Femgineer and having Kim Scott on FemgineerTV, I had to make my first sales hire for my second startup, BizeeBee. I had never hired a salesperson before. Most of my hiring experience had been with technical folks such as engineers, designers, and product managers. I just figured it would be the same. Find someone who is capable, comes with good references, and then give them some time to ramp up. I decided to hire Adam. Adam…
Podcast Episode 13: Help! My Boss is a Micromanager
If you've ever had a micromanager boss, you know how frustrating and demotivating it is to be micromanaged. You feel powerless -- what can you do? Kim and Russ have some advice for these situations. Listen now: In This Episode Kim and Russ agree, being micromanaged feels terrible. Russ tells a story about a boss who was micromanaging him. Even though the boss wouldn't show up to 1:1s with Russ and didn't know what Russ and his team were doing, he tried…
The Candor Boomerang
Marc Murphy, CEO at Atlatl Software, wrote us recently with this great feedback story, and a great new term to start using. Had a great candor moment this week that I wanted to share. I called it a candor boomerang... Marc met with a manager on his team and had a great, candid session. Marc shared some feedback with the manager. When he finished, the manager said, "Now can I share some feedback that I have for you?" What came next was…
Podcast Episode 12: Make Meetings Less Awful
Meetings can be an extremely frustrating part of work. But they don't have to be! Listen to this episode with guest Claire Johnson of Stripe to discover a meeting opportunity you may be missing, learn how to combat the worst meeting habit, and get some tips you can use to start improving your meetings this week. Listen to this week's episode: In This Episode Everyone loves to hate meetings. But meetings aren't all bad, and Kim and Russ have some advice for…
Tell Your Team Why You’re Using Candor Coach
Our new Candor Coach app for iOS will help you become a Radically Candid manager by coaching you through three types of quick, in-person feedback conversations with your team members. When you get started, it can help to let your team know what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it. Here’s an email you can tweak and send to get everyone on the same page. ------ Dear Team, I’m starting to use an app called Candor Coach that will help…
Podcast Episode 11: Creating a Culture of Radical Candor
By now you're familiar with the ideas behind Radical Candor -- Care Personally and Challenge Directly. How can you take these ideas and make organizational change? In this episode, Kim and Russ talk about how to create a culture of Radical Candor in your own workplace. Listen to the episode: In This Episode Kim and Russ talk through some steps for building a culture of Radical Candor across your team or organization. First, focus on yourself. Kim and Russ tell stories…
Video: Radical Candor, the Book
We're very excited for the release of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, coming next Tuesday, March 14th! To get excited for Pi Day, and the copy of the book that you've hopefully already pre-ordered :), check out this video of Kim talking about why she wrote the book. https://youtu.be/BmY3x9hrMv8 If you still need to pre-order your copies, go to Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Book Passage, or your local bookseller!
What It Means to Care Personally About Your Team
Most of us have experienced a bad boss, and unfortunately, those experiences can create lasting effects. Here’s a story and question we got from a listener after she listened to the first episode of the Radical Candor podcast -- it describes a common challenge that bosses have with balancing authority and Caring Personally and with building relationships with their direct reports. Hi Kim and Russ, Just listened to the first episode and wanted to share several of my previous "horrible…
Podcast Episode 10: Staying Connected with Remote Teams
When your team or boss doesn't work in the same location you do, communicating and building a strong relationship are much harder! Kim and Russ share stories of their challenges and successes and give advice for staying connected with remote teams. Listen now: At a Glance In this episode, Kim and Russ talk about what to do when you're working with remote teams. It's harder to build strong relationships and a culture of feedback, but there are tips and techniques that…
Video: A Manipulative Insincerity Story
Manipulative Insincerity is the worst of the quadrants in our Radical Candor 2x2 because you don't Challenge Directly or show you Care Personally. Unfortunately, when you or those around you behave with Manipulative Insincerity, it's often reciprocated and difficult to break out of. We shared a story from Joe Dunn last year about Obnoxious Aggression. Now here's a continuation of that story, when Joe found himself in a meeting surrounded by Manipulative Insincerity. https://youtu.be/nu49ePRFmLI Have you experienced something like this? Share your story…
So You’re Younger Than Your Direct Reports…
We frequently talk to managers who find it challenging to have direct reports who are older or more experienced than they are. We’re taught from a young age to “respect our elders,” which actually means to defer to them. With this kind of conditioning, it can feel awkward to be in a position of authority over these folks. Here’s a question one of our podcast listeners sent in along these lines: I’m a young startup CEO, and both my Director…
Podcast Episode 9: Showing Appreciation Makes Work More Fun
In honor of Employee Appreciation Day, this Friday, March 3rd, Russ and Kim talk about cultivating a sense of appreciation within your team. They explain why many bosses aren't great at this and share some tips for showing appreciation this week! Listen now! At a Glance Employee Appreciation Day is a great reminder that showing appreciation is important. And it's not just for managers to give to their direct reports! Kim and Russ share advice that you can use for showing appreciation to your…
Candor’s “Give Feedback” Playbook
We’ve been so excited about all the engagement we’ve gotten from our podcast listeners. We are getting great, thoughtful questions after each episode, and we know they’re questions that others have as well! So we’ll be sharing some of the advice we’re giving to individual listeners here on the blog. Here’s a question from Kathryn: My question relates to how one can challenge directly regarding inflexibility. I have a staff member that really struggles with his daily responsibilities I think…
Podcast Episode 8: How to Give Feedback to Your Boss
Being able to give your boss feedback is one of the key ways not to hate the boss you have! But this can be extremely daunting and sometimes risky...how do you do it so that you'll be heard and not shut down? Listen to this episode for advice from Russ and Kim: In This Episode We're back this week with more about how not to hate the boss you have. Last week we talked about getting feedback, and now Russ and Kim have…
Video: The Radical Candor Origin Story
Have you heard Kim tell the origin story for Radical Candor? When she was living in New York, a complete stranger approached her on the street and Challenged her Directly while also showing that he Cared Personally. Kim was amazed by the interaction, and further inspired by the words the stranger left her with: It's not mean, it's clear. Watch the video for the full story: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViLau3YpVLU Also check out episode 2 of the Radical Candor podcast for more about…
Radical Candor from a School Principal
One of our podcast listeners, Nadia, wrote in to share this story with us and gave us permission to share with you as well. It’s such a great story about advice that Nadia received years ago, that has stayed with her all this time. We’ve re-written her story here: When I was in middle school, so about 15 years old, I was chairperson of the Middle School Council. Each week I met with the principal of my school, Adam Heath,…
Podcast Episode 7: How to Get Feedback from Your Boss
Feedback is critical for success, so what happens if you aren't getting the feedback you need? It can feel hard to ask for feedback, especially from your boss, but Russ and Kim have some advice! This episode is all about how to get feedback from your boss. Listen now! In This Episode We've talked a lot about how not to be the boss you hate, but this week is our first episode about how not to hate the boss you have. Russ…
6 Key Lessons for Every New Manager
CONGRATULATIONS! You’re now a manager! You’ve worked hard, done well and been promoted to lead a team. That in and of itself is a HUGE accomplishment. But it’s only the beginning. Because now you need to figure out how the heck you’re going to actually be a successful, inspirational, motivational leader. That, my friend, is no small task. In fact, I am not sure that there exists a more jarring transition than the transition from individual contributor to manager. I…
Podcast Episode 6: Telling People What to Do Doesn’t Work
One of the most common mistakes bosses make is thinking their job is to tell people what to do. But that doesn't work! So how can you get people moving in the same direction and achieving results collaboratively? Listen to this week's episode for tips from Russ and Kim about how NOT to tell people what to do. Listen now: In This Week's Episode Kim and Russ have both learned the hard way that telling people what to do doesn't work.…