Radical Candor: From theory to practice with author Kim Scott

Kim Scott is the author of Radical Candor, currently the #1 most recommended book on this podcast. The book has sold over 1 million copies and has been translated into 23 languages. Before writing, Kim was a CEO coach at Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter, and other tech companies. She was also a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and DoubleClick teams at Google. This spring she’ll be launching Radical Respect, which she considers to be a prequel to Radical Candor. In today’s conversation, we go deep on Kim’s popular framework, including:

• What separates radical candor and obnoxious aggression

• Tactical advice on delivering constructive feedback

• How well-meaning empathy can become ruinous

• Strategies for effectively soliciting and responding to feedback

• The importance of having regular career conversations

• The false dichotomy of a good leader versus a kind person

• A sneak peek into Radical Respect

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Find the full transcript at: www.lennysnewsletter.com

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Where to find Kim Scott:

• X: twitter.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Website: www.radicalcandor.com

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Where to find Lenny:

• Newsletter: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• X: twitter.com

• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

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In this episode, we cover:

(00:00) Kim’s background

(03:13) A brief overview of Radical Candor

(06:46) How people fail with ruinous empathy, manipulative insincerity, and obnoxious aggression

(08:37) The impact of radical candor on Kim’s life

(14:16) How to communicate feedback effectively

(20:34) A story illustrating the problem with ruinous empathy and manipulative insincerity

(27:50) How to get over the need to be liked

(31:31) How to have career conversations with your direct reports

(29:40) Reflections on how Kim handled an underperforming employee

(33:31) Best practices for soliciting feedback as a leader

(35:53) How to respond to feedback

(39:22) How often to ask for feedback

(41:48) Whether or not to accept “no feedback” as an answer

(50:48) Investing time in feedback

(54:04) How to ask for feedback as an employee

(57:42) Why obnoxious aggression is not the best way to deliver feedback

(1:01:23) A notable example of problematic management 

(1:03:43) Why context matters when diagnosing obnoxious aggression 

(1:07:39) Empathy is a good thing, but empathy can paralyze

(1:10:47) Reflections on the limitations of radical candor in a society riddled with biases 

(1:14:41) Kim’s new book, Radical Respect

(1:15:51) Tactical advice to get better at radical candor

(1:16:46) Lightning round

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Referenced:

• Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity: www.amazon.com

• Radical Respect: How to Work Together Better: www.amazon.com

• The Office (American version) on Peacock: www.peacocktv.com

• Radical Candor diagram: www.radicalcandor.com

• Career conversation templates: review.firstround.com

• A behavioral scientist explains why we should reacquaint ourselves with the telephone: news.uchicago.edu

• How to get promoted: www.lennysnewsletter.com

• When They Win, You Win: Being a Great Manager Is Simpler Than You Think: www.amazon.com

• Peter Kazanjy on X: twitter.com

• Christa Quarles on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Jason Rosoff on LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com

• Andrew Grove: en.wikipedia.org

• Columbo on Prime Video: www.amazon.com

• Squid Game on Netflix: www.netflix.com

• Leveraging mentors to uplevel your career | Jules Walter (YouTube, Slack): www.lennyspodcast.com

• Poor Charlie’s Almanack: The Essential Wit and Wisdom of Charles T. Munger: www.amazon.com

• Bridgewater: www.bridgewater.com

• The Fund: Ray Dalio, Bridgewater Associates, and the Unraveling of a Wall Street Legend: www.amazon.com

• Tim Cook on X: twitter.com

• Elon Musk: www.amazon.com

• Building high-performing teams | Melissa Tan (Webflow, Dropbox, Canva): www.lennyspodcast.com

• Middlemarch: www.amazon.com

• The Bluest Eye: www.amazon.com

• Song of Solomon: www.amazon.com

• Orlando: www.amazon.com

• The Color Purple: www.amazon.com

• The Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business; The Manticore; World of Wonders: www.amazon.com

• Grey’s Anatomy on Netflix: www.netflix.com

• My year of saying yes to everything: www.ted.com

• Attitude: attitudeliving.com

• Dostoevsky books: www.amazon.com

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Production and marketing by penname.co. For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email podcast@lennyrachitsky.com.

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Lenny may be an investor in the companies discussed.