Better's Blinkist

What’s in it for me? Be the kind of leader who cuts through the bullshit.

But in these blinks, the case is made for the radically candid boss – the boss who can be both caring and direct and combine bluntness with empathy.

11 April, 2021 07:27 Share

Radical candor develops strong and beneficial relationships between managers and employees.

At the heart of radical candor are two principles: a manager should personally care about their employees and challenge them in their work. While it’s true that there are no simple solutions guaranteed to work for everyone, these principles are a great way of developing trusting relationships in the workplace. And even though different people have unique personalities and reactions, radical candor can help any manager improve their relationship with just about any employee.

23 August, 2019 09:22 Share

the first step is to become more than just a coworker by establishing personal relationships that prove you genuinely care. This means opening up, sharing and talking about more than just business. Contrary to what some may think, a good working relationship is a highly personal one.

23 August, 2019 09:23 Share

a good manager must also be willing to challenge their employees when they’re not meeting expectations. This can be difficult for managers. Being candid and direct doesn’t always feel like friendly and caring behavior. But as we’ll explore further, challenging your staff to be their best is indeed the hallmark of a boss who truly cares

23 August, 2019 09:23 Share

By being honest and direct with your employees, you’ll find that new lines of communication readily open up. Staff will be quick and willing to accept your feedback, and they’ll feel free to offer feedback regarding your work as team leader. This attitude will spread throughout your workforce. When you’re radically candid with your staff, they’ll soon become radically candid among themselves, which makes for a healthy, productive and efficient work environment.

23 August, 2019 09:24 Share

Radical candor is a delicate balance between being direct and honest while not offending.

If you have experience as a manager, then chances are you know what it’s like to have someone react aggressively or defensively to constructive feedback. Even when your intentions are positive, there’s a delicate skill to providing guidance and criticism while coming across as helpful, rather than mean. And this is exactly what radical candor can achieve.

23 August, 2019 09:25 Share

This kind of comment is radical candor at its best. She made her point clear while managing to compliment Scott at the same time, and the author was soon working with a speech coach to become even better at her job. This example shows us how radical candor gets results by being open, honest and direct.

23 August, 2019 09:25 Share

Perhaps most importantly, her boss was honest and direct about both the positive and negative aspects of the work, and she didn’t sugar coat anything. This ensured that Scott got the point and didn’t mistake it for a personal attack.

11 April, 2021 07:28 Share

Radical candor avoids the pitfalls of overly aggressive, lazy and fearful management.

This depiction of leadership is quite the opposite of radical candor; being honest and direct does not give you the right to be obnoxiously aggressive.

23 August, 2019 09:26 Share

Remember, radical candor is about expressing care for your staff, as well as being open and direct. Ultimately, when a boss humiliates an employee with their criticism, they create enemies, destroy morale and cause people to quit their job.

23 August, 2019 09:26 Share

When a boss refuses to be critical of an employee whose performance is deteriorating, that employee will only grow more incompetent until the manager is forced to fire them. So if you truly care about an employee, being honest is always in their best interest.

23 August, 2019 09:27 Share

Other behavior traits that a successful boss should avoid are manipulative insincerity and ruinous empathy.

11 April, 2021 07:29 Share

Bosses shouldn’t manufacture a false meaning for a job; they should provide professional development.

When the author was a manager in Google’s customer support department, she tried to manufacture meaning and convince her staff that their work was of vital importance to Google’s creative workers. But at least one employee saw right through her phony pep talk. And he was absolutely correct when he told her that it would be better to tell the truth and admit that a lot of necessary jobs can be tedious and unfulfilling. There’s no use dodging the fact that some jobs have only one reward: earning enough money to pay the bills and live comfortably. So be honest with your employees and tell them that there is still satisfaction to be had in doing a job well, and make sure that good work is acknowledged. There’s no need to feel you must solve your employees’ existential dilemmas.

11 April, 2021 07:32 Share

Firing someone is a troubling experience, so be sure to take every consideration before it happens.

Firing someone is tough because you’re making someone else’s life incredibly difficult, even if it’s only temporarily. And in many cases, it’s not only the employee who’s suffering but their spouse and children too. Not only are you taking away a source of money, but entire families can lose health insurance, and the whole incident can cause all sorts of marital strife. This is why a manager needs to ensure someone is fired for the right reason. It’s also important to remember that other employees are aware when someone is let go, so the incident should still reflect you as being an honest and caring boss

11 April, 2021 07:32 Share

First of all, every effort should be made to help the employee improve their performance. This shows that you care and that firing is your last resort. As always, you should use radical candor to support their good work and be honest and direct in how they can improve, while avoiding any personal attacks.

11 April, 2021 07:33 Share

Managers shouldn’t tell people what to do; instead, they should practice collaborative leadership.

On at least one occasion, Jobs was furious when an employee gave up and let him win an argument because it later turned out the employee was right. Jobs had to remind the employee that he was hired to ensure Jobs didn’t make these kinds of mistakes, and not back down from a fight. So, how do you lead a team without giving orders? It might sound like a paradox, but the answer is collaborative leadership, and there is an art to practicing it.

11 April, 2021 07:33 Share

The second step is to give your team the time and space to develop their ideas. Otherwise, they can end up being shot down before they ever have a chance to be clearly understood. The third step is to allow for healthy debate so that the best ideas are presented and agreed upon.

11 April, 2021 07:33 Share

Depending on your personality, you can listen quietly or loudly.

If you’re practicing quiet listening, you should spend at least ten minutes of an hour-long conversation patiently listening to what the other person has to say

11 April, 2021 07:34 Share

However, you will need to instill confidence in your teammates if you want them to speak up. For this to happen, you’ll need to respond positively to their opinions, even if you don’t agree with them, so that they’ll continue to speak up and challenge your ideas. Listening to your employees is key to promoting an effective and creative team. And as we’ll see in the final blink, it also puts you in a position to help move their careers forward.

11 April, 2021 07:34 Share

To support your employees, have honest discussions that reveal their true motivations.

While there’s nothing wrong with working a job just to pay the bills, you’re bound to have people in your team who have big dreams they’re hoping to realize. Managers should support the dreams of their staff and help them approach those dreams in a realistic fashion

11 April, 2021 07:34 Share

The first is the life story conversation where the employee tells you everything leading up to the present day, and you try to find their motivating factors. The second is the dream job conversation, where they describe their biggest career desire. The third is the 18-month plan conversation, where they look into the immediate future, and you identify everything that can be done to keep them on the right track.

11 April, 2021 07:35 Share

Final summary

By using radical candor, you can become the best possible boss. Radical candor helps you listen and express genuine care for your employees. It also allows you to directly challenge your staff members in a constructive way to which they’ll be receptive. This makes leadership a collaborative and personal process that brings out the best in everyone.

11 April, 2021 07:35 Share

Have a growth plan for your employees. Don’t just think of your staff as people who are only there to do what you assign them to do. Think of them as individuals on a career path and work with them to develop a plan that keeps that career on track.

11 April, 2021 07:35 Share