Radical Candor or a sure way to alienate staff?
People with authority and status above other people (executives), have to be careful about embracing radical candor, because it can backfire horribly.
Here’s how:
“I sometimes think our CEO wanted “radical candor” as one of our company values because she wanted a license to just be blunt with her negative feedback and not think about how it impacts us.”
- said John, a Product Owner in a company who had recently “refreshed the company values”, one of them being “radical candor”.
John’s interpretation of what happened is not uncommon, but actually it’s not accurate either.
The CEO had no such malicious intentions.
She was just trying to bring issues to the surface.
BUT… Her candid feedback landed badly because she had’t laid out a foundation of trust first.
Without mutual trust, “radical candor” can become in reality:
Executives being seen as criticising harshly the staff, but…
The staff feeling more and more alienated and scared to ever give candid feedback upwards to executives.
Radical candor can only be delivered when people know it’s SAFE to be candid.
So as the most senior person in the room, you have to be the one welcoming and showing it’s safe to receive radically candid feedback first.
What do you think?
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