Learn the Radical Candor framework by Kim Scott. A proven method to lead with both care and clarity—used at Google, Apple, and top-performing teams.
Imagine you're in a meeting, and you notice an employee walking in with their zipper down. What do you do?
✓︎ If you care personally and challenge directly, you quietly pull them aside and say, Your fly is down.
✓︎ If you challenge directly but don’t care personally, you might announce, Look, his fly is down! in front of everyone.
✓︎ If you care personally but don’t challenge directly, you stay silent, and the employee walks in unaware, which is often considered ruinous empathy.
✓︎ And if you neither care nor challenge, you stay silent for your own sake, which is manipulative insincerity.
This simple scenario illustrates the principles of Kim Scott’s Radical Candor book 📕 , a leadership philosophy she developed while working with top companies like Google and Apple. She believes that strong bosses build trust by balancing care for the individual with the courage to give direct feedback.
What makes a great boss? Kim identifies three key areas:
✓︎Guidance: Deliver honest, constructive feedback.
✓︎ Team-building: Put the right people in the right roles.
✓︎ Results: Lead with a focus on achieving shared goals.
Here are the 3 core principles of a great boss:
Make it Personal: Great bosses show they care, creating meaningful relationships with their employees that go beyond just work.
Get (Sh)it Done: A boss should not only provide feedback but also create a culture of accountability and collaboration to drive results.