Blog

Video: A Ruinous Empathy Story - Russ

Many of us struggle with Ruinous Empathy. We want to build and maintain relationships with people, so we don't want to say things that upset them. But if you focus too much on caring personally and don't offer directly challenges when you see something that isn't right, it can lead to far worse outcomes.

Reading and listening to stories about Ruinous Empathy will help you understand that others have the same struggles that you have. Hearing how these situations turned out will hopefully help inspire you to Challenge more Directly!

This story from Candor, Inc. co-founder Russ Laraway describes a time when he withheld a direct challenge.

https://youtu.be/fgEJQJuS_wo

Find out what happened next in the continuation of the story!

Dive Deeper

For you

Kick ass at work without losing your humanity. Check out our Online Courses and Tools for you to work through on your own time.

Check out Public Workshops, AI Coach, and Online Courses →

For your team

Workshops teach the Radical Candor framework and includes hands-on practice. Real scenarios, role play, up to 150 people. Half or full day. Virtual or in person.

Check out team workshops →

Share your perspective

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

More from Radical Candor

Blog

How Do You Act on Feedback? Reward the Candor

What does rewarding the candor look like? This story always comes up in our workshops: When we worked together at Google, my colleague Russ Laraway once complained that I …

Read more
Blog

What Do You Do After You Ask for Feedback? The Only Way Out Is Through

A Story A banker who led a high-stakes tech IPO ran an important meeting with the COO of the company that was going public. The meeting had been a home run. So he was surprised …

Read more
Podcast

Manipulation vs. Persuasion: A Clear Distinction (with Jay Conger) 8 | 29

While the podcast team is on a Radical Sabbatical, Kim Scott is spending the season talking to authors of the books that have shaped her thinking. This week: Jay Conger, whose …

Read more