Tell It Like It Is and They Will Know that You Care.

by Kathy Seaton

The culture of the organization has been irrevocably changed in the post-pandemic era. As we re-group and reinvent our businesses, we need to realize that our staff wants more; more transparency, more involvement, more control, and certainly a better career path and work environment.

One of the most important rebuilding strategies is to employ the Radical Candor principle. Coined by management guru Kim Scott, radical candor is the ability to challenge directly and show that you care personally at the same time.

Being candid and giving feedback is tough. And it’s tough because we carry a sense of guilt in giving direction that it might come off harsh or insulting. However, if employed carefully, radical candor will help you, your peers, and your employees do the best work of their lives and build trusted relationships within the organization and throughout their careers. To give praise and criticism effectively, you really must care personally about the individual.

Here are three ways to start the process.

Make it a priority to get feedback from others. Set an example that you welcome feedback and suggestions. And importantly, that you listen and move in a direction that proves that you’ve adjusted accordingly based on the feedback.
Give feedback to others, in a way that helps them to execute their jobs better and helps them feel like you care and are willing to create mobility for them in the organization. This will certainly build trust among your employees.
Encourage peer-to-peer feedback. Teamwork has become essential as we return to a more normalized work environment. Working in teams is essential for innovation, creativity, and ingenuity. However, peers need to feel empowered to challenge their teammates to produce the right results, at the right time.

So, commit to this new journey and way of communicating. And be honest and admit to others that you haven’t been candid enough, but you are going to start saying what you think a lot more clearly because you care about the lives and careers of others.