A number of you have asked how to roll out Radical Candor on your team. How can you get started with some of the ideas from the book and the podcast as a group? Last year, I wrote an Advice Column post answering a CEO's question about introducing the concepts and starting to build a Radically Candid culture. But let's get more specific. Here are a few simple things you can do: 1) Start a book discussion group. Have your…
It's hard to take general management and feedback advice and visualize how to apply it in real-life situations. Some Radical Candor readers have mentioned to Kim that it would be helpful to see various feedback and management scenarios acted out. So she and Eleanor Scott did this fun improv role play to help with one of Kim's pieces of advice: Eliminate the words "Don't take it personally" from your vocabulary. Here's why it's such a bad idea to say, "Don't…
Radically Candid criticism is not about someone's personality. When you give criticism, it is best to talk about how the work product could be improved, not about (alleged) flaws in the person's character. Saying things like "You're a jerk" or "You are sloppy" is neither kind nor helpful. And it's almost always an imperfect analysis of the situation. So whenever possible, focus your feedback on the work. Now, this isn't always possible, and Russ shares some tips for how to approach criticism…
When thinking about how to best deliver feedback, think not only about the manner in which you give it, but also the setting you choose. Radically Candid praise is delivered in public and Radically Candid criticism is delivered in private. When you share specifically what was great and why it was great publicly, not only does it have more meaning for the person being praised, it helps the whole team learn something new. If you're criticizing a person, it's much kinder…
Radically Candid criticism is humble. When you Challenge Directly, you don't have to be right. And when you are open to learning that what you think is dead wrong, you show that not only are you willing to Challenge Directly, you are willing to BE challenged directly. This builds trust. Be happy to be proven wrong. What you care about is helping others do the best work of their careers, and getting to the best answer. Watch this video for more thoughts…
Radically Candid criticism is delivered in person. Remember, Radical Candor gets measured at the listener's ear, not the talker's mouth. Since communication is mostly nonverbal, it's really hard to know if your criticism is Radically Candid -- or not -- if you can't see how it lands. The only way to know if you've been kind and clear is to see how the other person is reacting. Watch the video to get Russ's tips for giving criticism in person: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvOrgWhVjyk…
Our goal is to help you improve your impromptu feedback. And that word "impromptu" is key. We think it's extremely important to give feedback immediately, rather than saving it up for a scheduled meeting, or even worse, for an annual performance review. So today's tip is that Radically Candid criticism is immediate. It's easier to be specific when the details are fresh and it's also more kind because it gives the person an opportunity to fix it faster. In this video, Russ explains why…
Radically Candid criticism is helpful. When you are really clear about what's wrong and why, you help the person fix the problem. But you may hesitate to give your criticism when you don't have actual help to offer or when you're worried that you might be wrong. Kim shares tips for overcoming these concerns and giving helpful criticism. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/Ea5KoAqACzY Read more tips for giving helpful feedback or revisit our video with tips for offering helpful praise.
If you think you've given criticism that was Obnoxiously Aggressive, check out these tips for moving towards Radical Candor! Criticize kindly This doesn’t mean sugar coating. It means seeing your criticism as an act of kindness, meant to help the person improve. If others have rated your criticism as Obnoxiously Aggressive, you’re not showing that you Care Personally. Try to pause for just a moment and imagine the face of somebody you really care about. Bring the kindness you’d show…
If you think you've given criticism that was Manipulatively Insincere, check out these tips for moving towards Radical Candor! Criticize kindly and clearly Just say what you really think. It’s not mean if it’s clear enough. If others have rated your criticism as Manipulatively Insincere, you’re not showing you care or challenging them directly enough. It’s hard to break free from the “if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say it at all” advice that was pounded into…