Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott

1. Ask for Feedback Effectively

Instead of asking ‘Do you have any feedback for me?’, ask ‘What could I do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?’ Ensure the question sounds authentic to you, not like a script, so others believe you genuinely want an answer.

2. Calendarize Feedback Requests

Write down your authentic feedback question, identify who you will ask (e.g., direct reports, peers, boss), and schedule it in your calendar right now. Managers should budget five minutes at the end of weekly one-on-ones for this.

3. Practice Radical Candor (HIP CORE)

When giving feedback, be Humble (you might be wrong), state your Intention to be helpful, do it Promptly (immediately), do it In person or Synchronously (phone over video is recommended, avoid email/Slack), Praise in public and Criticize in private, and focus on Objectivity (not personality) using CORE: Context, Observation, Result, Exact next step.

4. Avoid Ruinous Empathy

Do not avoid telling someone something they’d be better off knowing due to fear of hurting their feelings. This is the most common mistake and can lead to worse outcomes, like having to fire someone or losing high-performing team members.

5. Embrace Discomfort When Receiving Feedback

After asking for feedback, close your mouth and count to six to encourage the other person to speak. This helps overcome the natural discomfort associated with giving critical feedback.

6. Listen to Understand, Not Respond

When receiving feedback, listen with the intent to truly understand, not to formulate a defensive response. Ask follow-up questions to ensure you fully grasp what the person is trying to communicate.

7. Reward Candor Richly

Always reward critical feedback richly, especially from employees, to encourage future candor. If you agree, fix the problem and make your listening tangible; if you disagree, find 5-10% to agree with, state you’ll think about the rest, and follow up with a respectful explanation.

8. Give Feedback Immediately

Give both praise and criticism in the moment, rather than saving it up for one-on-ones or performance reviews. This ensures the feedback is timely and more impactful.

9. Prioritize Feedback Time

Schedule slack time in your calendar (e.g., 25-minute meetings instead of 30) or be willing to be late to your next meeting. These ’two-minute impromptu moments of management’ are crucial for relationship hygiene and prevent larger issues later.

10. Overcome People-Pleasing Tendencies

Realize your job is to care about others and be ‘others-focused,’ not to be liked. Understand that it is actually unkind in the long run not to give someone feedback they need to improve.

11. Conduct Meaningful Career Conversations

Have three separate 45-minute conversations with direct reports about their past (motivations), future (dreams), and a career action plan (skills to develop, opportunities) to show care and support their growth.

12. Gauge Feedback Landing & Adjust

Start giving feedback in a neutral way and continuously gauge how it’s landing. If the person brushes you off, challenge more directly; if they look sad, move up on the ‘care personally’ dimension by asking how you could have said it differently, without retracting the feedback.

13. Address Low Self-Awareness in Leaders

Explain the negative impact their behavior has on results and their own careers, appealing to their ’enlightened self-interest.’ Share your own stories of making mistakes to encourage a growth mindset and self-awareness.

14. Read More Novels

To build compassion for other people and better understand emotional signals, read more novels. This is a powerful way to move up on the ‘care personally’ dimension of radical candor.