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Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity

Kim Scott recently brought out version 2.0 of her book, Radical Candor. The reason, stated in the foreword, is that Radical Candor was used by some to justify some really bad behavior. People decided that Radical Candor made it okay for them to be jerks, and just blame the book. She wanted to set the record straight and talk about what Radical Candor really is. Here is my take on it.

Many people I know struggle with being too nice. They are seen by others as pushovers. Others are seen as being too unyielding or hard-nosed. I am sure each of us has worked for and with both types of personality. How do we deal with them? That is the heart of the book. You don’t have to choose what kind of person you have to deal with. Scott says that you should care personally and challenge directly. In other words, your guidance and feedback should be kind, yet specific and clear. This is not to be confused with sugarcoating. The relationship you build with each induvial will be unique and will allow clear and concise feedback to accepted and built upon.

Radical Candor is a useful collection of revealing stories that gives examples of good and not so good bosses. Some of the stories may make you wonder whether anyone can be so clueless or so cruel. It has been my experience as a coach, they are true. This is a good solid read and one that should add to volumes written on conflict and how to handle it.

She also has a Radical Candor podcast you can subscribe to. Great way to pass the time on your commute into the office.

Author:

Kim Scott

Publisher:

St. Martin’s Press, Revised & Updated Edition

Published:

2019

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