The Book — “Radical Candor” by Kim Scott
The Author
Kim Scott has founded Juice Software that went bankrupt several year ago. Then she led AdSense, YouTube and some others at Google before joining Apple to develop and teach a leadership seminar. She has also been a CEO coach for Dropbox, Twitter and Qualtrix. Now she is the co-founder of Candor, Inc.
The (very short) Summary
The question we try to answer here is “How to be a great boss?”. There is no secret recipe; the solution involves caring for our people (not only in a professional frame, but as a whole) and challenging them to be their best self at work. It means that our job is to build a safe place in which feedback can be provided in both directions, failure is not only accepted but welcomed (as long as we all learn from it) and each one can be rewarded for what he/she brings to the whole team.
The Big Idea
Great Guidance combines two components: Care Personally and Challenge Directly. By combining both we can reach Radical Candor.
The Insights
You need both superstars (steep growth trajectory) and rock stars (gradual growth trajectory) in your team. By the way, not every superstar want to manage. Management and growth should not been conflated.
People change, and you have to change with them. You have to see each person on your team with fresh eyes every day. Don’t put them in boxes and leave them there.
Create a culture of listening and empower people closest to the facts to make as many decisions as possible.
Try “skip level meetings” in which your direct reports meet with your boss without you in the room. The question they will be asked is what you should do or stop doing to be a better boss.
Career conversations can follow a 3-steps process. Your people share their life story first, then you connect with their dreams and finally you build an eighteen-month plan together. By applying this growth management process, you maximize your chances to inspire , build trust and obtain great results.
All these insights are multiple ways to care personally and challenge directly. They all can contribute to bring you one step closer to Radical Candor.
My Big Actionable Takeaway
To really and deeply know my direct reports (who they are as human beings) in order to be able to define together the best fit for them and for the company considering their dreams and the company goals.
