Driving Results Archives | Radical Candor

Micromanager, Absentee Manager or Thought Partner — Which One Are You?

We call managers who have low, almost non-existent involvement in their team’s work absentee managers. Those with extremely (maybe excruciatingly) close involvement are micromanagers. And in between those are the thought partners, the ones who empower, enable and encourage their teams to do the best work of their lives. How can you determine where you fall on this spectrum so you can learn how to move in the right direction instead of being a micromanager or an absentee manager? To help you figure out when you’re…

Lights! Camera! Feedback! Second City Works and Radical Candor Get Guidance from Strategic Partners on ‘Improvising Radical Candor,’ a Workplace Comedy-Based Online Learning Program

Second City Works and Radical Candor bring together learning and development leaders from some of the world’s top organizations to exchange ideas, gather insights and share laughs at a Launch Partner Summit for Improvising Radical Candor, a workplace comedy online learning program available in early 2020. In advance of the release of Improvising Radical Candor’s comedy-based online learning program, Radical Candor and Second City Works invited early adopters to an exclusive Launch Partner Summit on Nov. 7, 2019 at world-famous…

‘Improvising Radical Candor: Digital’ Offers A Fun and Fresh Approach to Professional Development

As part of our partnership with Second City Works, we're excited to announce Improvising Radical Candor: Digital, a suite of digital videos and support materials that will offer a scalable way for organizations to implement Radical Candor’s proven feedback framework. Available in early 2020, our digital content will serve as a learning extension to our in-person workshops designed to create candid, talent-retaining company cultures. Improvising Radical Candor's playful, interactive approach encourages teams to Care Personally, Challenge Directly + Practice Playfully to…

A Happy Marriage of Growth and Stability

I recently learned that my great-grandfather Taylor Malone started a company with my husband’s great-great uncle, Joe Hyde, in Memphis, Tenn., my hometown. Oddly, it took us 11 years of marriage to learn this. We just found out thanks to a visit to a cemetery in Connecticut, but we’re happy to know now. It’s a great story about how we all need a balance of growth and stability to build great teams, to have successful careers, and to live the lives…

What If You Need to Interrupt?

In episode 12 of the Radical Candor podcast, Kim and Russ talked about how to give feedback to someone who frequently interrupts in meetings. Then a few weeks ago, we also shared advice for how to stop your own habit of interrupting. There’s one more question we’ve been getting about this topic...What if you need to interrupt someone? How do you go about gently telling a person that's speaking for way too long in a meeting, that his time's up?…

Are you an Absentee Manager, a Micromanager, or a Thought Partner?

In Episode 13 of our podcast we talked about the dreaded micromanager boss and how to work towards a better relationship with them. As a part of that discussion, we briefly talked about a few ‘modes’ a manager might fall into based on how close they are to the team’s work. We call managers who have low, almost non-existent involvement in their team’s work absentee managers. Those with extremely (maybe excruciatingly) close involvement are micromanagers. And in between those are…

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…

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…

Resolve to Be a Better Leader in 2017

It’s that time of year. A time for new beginnings. A time for renewal and resolution. Like many, you may be feeling inspired and committed to a set of New Year’s Resolutions. But have you committed to any that will help you be a better leader in 2017? Maybe you’re not sure where to start, what leadership resolutions to choose. John Farmer, one of our engineers, and I developed a list of “Leadership New Year Resolutions” to help you start…

Why Feedback Helps Teams Achieve Results

Most people don’t have any problem imagining how quality feedback can improve a relationship between two co-workers, and specifically, how it improves the relationship between managers and their direct reports. It just makes sense! The relationship between feedback and operating results, though, is often less clear in the minds of the customers that I talk to every week. Can feedback actually have a direct impact on the success of a company? To answer that question, let’s first look at the…

Driving Results

Micromanager, Absentee Manager or Thought Partner — Which One Are You?

Lights! Camera! Feedback! Second City Works and Radical Candor Get Guidance from Strategic Partners on ‘Improvising Radical Candor,’ a Workplace Comedy-Based Online Learning Program

‘Improvising Radical Candor: Digital’ Offers A Fun and Fresh Approach to Professional Development

A Happy Marriage of Growth and Stability

What If You Need to Interrupt?

Are you an Absentee Manager, a Micromanager, or a Thought Partner?

So You’re Younger Than Your Direct Reports…

6 Key Lessons for Every New Manager

Resolve to Be a Better Leader in 2017

Why Feedback Helps Teams Achieve Results

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