You may not have heard of ‘radical candour’ before, but it just might be the feedback tool that you have been missing. For many years, leaders have been trained to provide balanced feedback where every strength is matched with ‘an opportunity’ for improvement. Sure, that helps employees to feel good about themselves, but does that really provide the feedback that they need?
Perhaps a good place to start is to reflect on your own feedback journey:
If you have answered ‘yes’ to any of the above, then perhaps you would have benefitted from some ‘radical candour’.
‘Radical candour’ is a management philosophy made famous by ex-Google employee Kim Scott. Its origin came after former Google and ex-Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg pulled Kim aside for some feedback following a presentation to senior executives.
On a walk back to her office, Ms Sandberg asked Ms Scott if she was aware that she said ‘um’ a lot during presentations. Ms Scott replied with “yes, but it is just a bit of a verbal tick and its fine”.
Following this response, Ms Sandberg offered the use of a verbal coach to rectify the issue, but Ms Scott replied with a “no thanks – I am far too busy for that”.
At this time, Ms Sandberg had a choice. She could leave it there or try a different approach. Ms Sandberg decided that she needed to be more direct, so she said, “Kim, you are one of the smartest people I know, but when you say ‘um’ so much you sound stupid and insecure”.
This feedback was as direct as it comes, but it delivered the desired result. Not only did Ms Scott seek the help of the verbal coach, but this experience led to the idea and creation of the term ‘radical candour’.
Ms Scott went on to write a book ‘Radical Candour: How to get what you want by saying what you mean’ which has hit the New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller lists. It has created strong interest and some organisations are enjoying the benefits of these courageous conversations that ultimately create greater self-awareness.
The theory behind radical candour is straight forward and blends two key, but often competing, workplace behaviours:
Organisations worldwide are taking note of this new approach to feedback with some positive results. When radical candour is applied successfully, Ms Scott believes that you can “get what you want by saying what you mean.”
The radical candour approach is considered the ideal method of communication; however Ms Scott has outlined three other approaches commonly used in the workplace:
Most of us can recall a time when we have taken the ‘ruinous empathy’ approach. It seems more natural to focus on our emotional and social connections rather than taking an approach to challenge or provide difficult feedback to someone that we care about.
We are taught from a very young age to ‘not say anything unless you have something nice to say’, but could using radical candour actually be the nicest thing to do?
Using radical candour successfully takes courage and practice, but when done well it can strengthen relationships and improve results. Here are some tips to using radical candour successfully:
It is common for some workers to find themselves underperforming in a role without ever being told that they are not meeting expectations. Quite rightly, these employees ask, “why didn’t anyone tell me so that I could change?”. Unfortunately, it is usually because leaders feel more comfortable operating in the ‘ruinous empathy’ quadrant where it is nice and safe.
The problem here is that ‘safe’ does not provide the ‘aha’ moment for the employee; so they need their leader to step up and have the conversation that, although uncomfortable, delivers positive results.
Having the courage to create an honest conversation and speak with candour can be a lightbulb moment for an employee. So, perhaps it is time that leaders ask themselves if they ready to provide employees with the feedback that they need to hear, as opposed to the feedback that will be easy to deliver?
Ai Group offers a range of short course management and leadership training programs that have been designed to assist the development of participants through their management and leadership journey.
Check out our Leadership Course Creator for further information or call the Ai Group Workplace Advice Line on 1300 55 66 77.
Georgina is Senior HR Content Editor – Publications at Ai Group. She is an accomplished Human Resource professional with over 25 years of generalist and leadership experience in a broad range of industries including financial services, tourism, travel, government and agriculture. She has successfully advised and partnered with senior leaders to implement people and performance initiatives that align to business strategy. Georgina is committed to utilising her experience to create resources that educate and engage and is passionate about supporting members to optimise an inclusive workforce culture that drives performance.
