Radical Candor: Revised Edition
- Downloads：8297
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-08-16 06:54:44
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Kim Malone Scott
- ISBN：1250258405
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
- Download
Summary
From the time we learn to speak， we’re told that if you don’t have anything nice to say， don’t say anything at all。 While this advice may work for everyday life， it is， as Kim Scott has seen， a disaster when adopted by managers。
Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google and then decamped to Apple， where she developed a class on optimal management。 She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management， the “radical candor” method。
Radical candor is the sweet spot between managers who are obnoxiously aggressive on one side and ruinously empathetic on the other。 It’s about providing guidance， which involves a mix of praise as well as criticism—delivered to produce better results and help employees achieve。
Great bosses have strong relationships with their employees， and Scott has identified three simple principles for building better relationships with your employees: make it personal， get （sh）it done， and understand why it matters。
Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management， written for bosses and those who manage bosses。 Taken from years of the author’s experience， and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity， finding meaning in their job， and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues。
Scott earned her stripes as a highly successful manager at Google and then decamped to Apple， where she developed a class on optimal management。 She has earned growing fame in recent years with her vital new approach to effective management， the “radical candor” method。
Radical candor is the sweet spot between managers who are obnoxiously aggressive on one side and ruinously empathetic on the other。 It’s about providing guidance， which involves a mix of praise as well as criticism—delivered to produce better results and help employees achieve。
Great bosses have strong relationships with their employees， and Scott has identified three simple principles for building better relationships with your employees: make it personal， get （sh）it done， and understand why it matters。
Radical Candor offers a guide to those bewildered or exhausted by management， written for bosses and those who manage bosses。 Taken from years of the author’s experience， and distilled clearly giving actionable lessons to the reader; it shows managers how to be successful while retaining their humanity， finding meaning in their job， and creating an environment where people both love their work and their colleagues。
Reviews
Lois Keller
，
Not all of the advice in this book is perfect and there’s a ton of unnecessary name dropping， but I think for new managers Kim Scott hits some great themes。
Ahmad Abugosh
，
A good book for anyone either new to management or that wants to get better at managing others。 I especially like how Scott included real examples from her time working in a FANG company environment。 My main takeaways are:- Be honest with your employers when it comes to negative feedback （don't hide something you don't like and don't save it for a chat later if you have a chance to voice it）， but always do so with respect。 - One-to-one meetings are very important especially with growing teams- S A good book for anyone either new to management or that wants to get better at managing others。 I especially like how Scott included real examples from her time working in a FANG company environment。 My main takeaways are:- Be honest with your employers when it comes to negative feedback （don't hide something you don't like and don't save it for a chat later if you have a chance to voice it）， but always do so with respect。 - One-to-one meetings are very important especially with growing teams- Some people are superstars （they want to have quick growth and become managers）， while others are rockstars （they prefer stability and often the technical craft）。 This reminded me of the makers versus managers classification （popularized by Paul Graham）。The book got a little repetitive after a while， but I really enjoyed the simplicity and practical lessons in it， and think it's a great book for aspiring and current managers。 。。。more
Brianna Jones
，
Hard to visualize the graphics in audiobook format， but a great read regardless。 If you're looking for new ways to communicate impactfully in a team， this is a great place to start。 Hard to visualize the graphics in audiobook format， but a great read regardless。 If you're looking for new ways to communicate impactfully in a team， this is a great place to start。 。。。more
Michelle
，
Very working professional should read this book！
C
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Kim Scott is another author who was born rich and privileged and decided to assign herself importance and self-worth by writing a book that is essentially a self-reflection of everyone telling her how smart she is because of her Ivy League background。 It’s so funny that people find epiphanies in basically realizing that all feedback in the business world isn’t always just propping you up and saying how great you are because you went to an expensive school…the book is very relatable if you are pe Kim Scott is another author who was born rich and privileged and decided to assign herself importance and self-worth by writing a book that is essentially a self-reflection of everyone telling her how smart she is because of her Ivy League background。 It’s so funny that people find epiphanies in basically realizing that all feedback in the business world isn’t always just propping you up and saying how great you are because you went to an expensive school…the book is very relatable if you are person of privilege who has no current idea how to give or receive constructive feedback。 。。。more
susan
，
excellent and should be required reading for all managers
Rosemary
，
Some good takeaways but not as much practical how-to info as I would have liked。
David Zhang
，
Care personally -> challenge directlyA clear and easy to understand framework for effective communication。 Plenty of examples and good stories provided for context
Komal Narwani
，
Straight to the point， much-needed reminder that it doesn't hurt to be candid。 Straight to the point， much-needed reminder that it doesn't hurt to be candid。 。。。more
Sherina
，
I thought the first five chapters of the books were really well written and gave me a lot of help as a manager on how to better maneuver an employee-boss relationship。 Being transparent was key- who knew？However， the last few chapters really dragged。 A lot of the stories and the advice felt generic and obvious。 It was also very Silicon Valley based but I am not sure it captures how these would come across rest of the world。
Mikilah Terae
，
Very helpful as a new boss and supervisor。
Florence
，
My favourite book this year， great principles of how to be an effective leader and make people awesome at what they do。 It was relatable， practical and well thought out。
Renee
，
Mixed feelings about this book。 There was enough valuable advice for it to be useful。 That said， it's definitely meant for a hyper-privileged audience， and the privileged tone running throughout the book was difficult to deal with at times （hence it taking me so long to finish）。 It also seems like some parts are going out of date （especially in the wake of so many companies going remote-first）， so the author should probably get a new edition going soon。 Mixed feelings about this book。 There was enough valuable advice for it to be useful。 That said， it's definitely meant for a hyper-privileged audience， and the privileged tone running throughout the book was difficult to deal with at times （hence it taking me so long to finish）。 It also seems like some parts are going out of date （especially in the wake of so many companies going remote-first）， so the author should probably get a new edition going soon。 。。。more
James Cogbill
，
In her book， Radical Candor， Kim Scott provides a compelling construct for providing feedback （both praise and criticism） that is meaningful， even life-changing， and that can have a huge impact on the ability of your team to get results。 Her book addresses head on the difficulty that many （including I） have giving constructive criticism when it’s much easier and much less confrontational to give empty praise—what she calls “ruinous empathy” or “manipulative insincerity。” This is ruinous because In her book， Radical Candor， Kim Scott provides a compelling construct for providing feedback （both praise and criticism） that is meaningful， even life-changing， and that can have a huge impact on the ability of your team to get results。 Her book addresses head on the difficulty that many （including I） have giving constructive criticism when it’s much easier and much less confrontational to give empty praise—what she calls “ruinous empathy” or “manipulative insincerity。” This is ruinous because by giving it， you’re not giving your subordinate a chance to improve， you will continue being frustrated by poor performance， and you’ll end up having to do/fix the work yourself leading to bitterness or overwork。 She offers useful suggestions for how to make radical candor—also referred to as “compassionate candor”—a part of your daily routine， getting more and more comfortable with it the more this muscle is exercised。 She also provides other management techniques for getting stuff done—some of which did not resonate with me—but other tips did—such as “walking around，” referred to by others as “management by walking around。” This is another thing that I struggle with as I lean more to the introverted side。 Her advice to schedule just one hour per week for doing this seems eminently doable。 I also appreciated some of her tips for addressing one-on-one （1:1） meetings and what I would refer to as developmental counseling。 In these sessions you attempt to really get to know and “care personally” about your direct reports。 I really enjoyed the book through about Chapter 7， but after that it seemed to get a little repetitive as the final chapter， afterword， and “bonus chapter” seemed to be add-ons to the most recent edition， attempting to offer practical implementation tips that were lacking in the first edition。 Overall this is a useful book and I will try to weave her lessons into the lessons that I provide my Cadets on developmental counseling and leadership in general。 。。。more
Matt
，
Good advice on finding a balance between caring personally and challenging directly without being too empathetic or obnoxiously aggressive。 Great read！
Rachael
，
The thesis of the book is spelled out pretty clearly in the first couple chapters。 From there， Scott elaborates with anecdote after anecdote that all boil down to the same point。 I love the concept， but I wish she would have been more intersectional， perhaps with stories from others instead of just hers and her Silicon Valley comrades， and how to approach communication as a woman in business and from the perspective of BIPOC？ I read the first edition， so I can’t speak to what was included in the The thesis of the book is spelled out pretty clearly in the first couple chapters。 From there， Scott elaborates with anecdote after anecdote that all boil down to the same point。 I love the concept， but I wish she would have been more intersectional， perhaps with stories from others instead of just hers and her Silicon Valley comrades， and how to approach communication as a woman in business and from the perspective of BIPOC？ I read the first edition， so I can’t speak to what was included in the update。 。。。more
Samir Ghosh
，
This book is packed with specific tactics， almost too much minutia。 It's well aligned with No Rules Rules， One Minute Manager， et al for reinforcing the value of creating candor in the workplace。 This book is packed with specific tactics， almost too much minutia。 It's well aligned with No Rules Rules， One Minute Manager， et al for reinforcing the value of creating candor in the workplace。 。。。more
Pablo
，
Essential and awesome book to anyone working in a team， specially if you are managing it。 100% recommended。
Kevin Wu
，
God bless Shy Lavasani
Andy
，
I saw the title "Radical Candor" and thought this book would be about general communication techniques。 I have previously read "Getting to Yes" and "Nonviolent Communication" （both incredible books） and was hungry to learn more about candid communication。 I was put off by the near 100% focus on how bosses should communicate with subordinates。 There's very little in the book on general communication between peers， and there's even almost nothing about communicating with your own boss。 It's all fr I saw the title "Radical Candor" and thought this book would be about general communication techniques。 I have previously read "Getting to Yes" and "Nonviolent Communication" （both incredible books） and was hungry to learn more about candid communication。 I was put off by the near 100% focus on how bosses should communicate with subordinates。 There's very little in the book on general communication between peers， and there's even almost nothing about communicating with your own boss。 It's all from the perspective of managing people。 It gave me a bad feeling while reading it， like Kim Scott thinks managers are a different type of human。 Kim seems to have graduated from business school right into management， rarely or never being an individual contributor herself， and that attitude shows in the book。In case you couldn't tell， I'm not a manager。 I'm not the target audience for this book。 It's disappointing because the writing could have framed the concepts more broadly， not just in terms of managing people。"Radical Candor" has some good tidbits and memorable anecdotes。 For example it does a good job explaining a boss's role （give guidance， build the team， drive results）。 And "praise is your accelerator， criticism is your brake" is an example of one of the many management anecdotes that stuck with me。This book was too long and surprisingly painful to read， especially because the framing of everything as a manager can be alienating。 。。。more
Esther Niffenegger
，
Author Kim Scott offers guidance about caring personnaly and challenging directly to improve leadership。There is good content but not enough。 The book started of pretty well。 I like the concept of Radical Candor。 From about half way the book becomes boring and I didnt see much new in it。
Scott Thompson
，
I thought this book was incredibly insightful。 I know some of the people mentioned in the book so it was interesting to see them as part of the narrative。 We could all use a little more of this when interacting with people we work with。 I would recommend this at a business book club and feel good about my pick。
Rachael Callahan
，
I've only read a few business books， but this is definitely one of the better ones。 The concepts and tips are applicable to all professionals。 I've only read a few business books， but this is definitely one of the better ones。 The concepts and tips are applicable to all professionals。 。。。more
Tess
，
This book is a straight-up force， and there are many reasons it's become a modern classic in the management space。 The first time I ever heard the term "Ruinous empathy" I knew I had been skewered， and I needed that so I could push back on my natural tendency to not rock the boat。However many years later， I'm still working on it。 It's still hard for me to "just say it，" and though I've made a lot of progress I think it'll be a lifelong struggle。 But there's a self-awareness that Radical Candor e This book is a straight-up force， and there are many reasons it's become a modern classic in the management space。 The first time I ever heard the term "Ruinous empathy" I knew I had been skewered， and I needed that so I could push back on my natural tendency to not rock the boat。However many years later， I'm still working on it。 It's still hard for me to "just say it，" and though I've made a lot of progress I think it'll be a lifelong struggle。 But there's a self-awareness that Radical Candor encourages that's been helpful to a generation of people managers， and I'm grateful for that。My biggest feeling upon reaching the end of the book was overwhelm—there is *so* much here， and so many methods and micro-methods to apply to seemingly every aspect of your life as a manager。 Luckily I was so slow in finally reading the whole thing that I had already applied some of these principles， which I must have gleaned from podcasts and TED talks over time。 So that offsets the feeling a bit。 But for me， there's a risk of seeing all this as another script to follow absolutely， and another rubric to apply。 It's hard not to hear this as another voice to add to the chorus of constant self-examination in my head: "Be more A。 You didn't apply the principle of B just then。 Why didn't you remember to C？ You're not doing X enough。 Are you being perfectly Y right now？ Don't forget to offer Z" etc。 etc。 forever。To anybody else out there who struggles with the idea that a manager must be all things to all people at all times—I'm with you。 In a world where faith is uncool， people have transferred their worship wholesale to the office and the political arena， and suddenly you've found yourself held up to be examined like a high priestess。 Here's hoping we can absorb the most useful parts of this framework and apply them thoughtfully， without letting it become yet another source of perfectionism and unrealistic expectations in our individual lives。 。。。more
Paul
，
A thoroughly enjoyable practical guidebook to introducing candour into professional environments （and private ones）。 The step by step guide is furnished with real world examples from the author the ground the theory in humanity。
Christopher Jacoby
，
This book has some great advice， and it is a good compliment to Powerful by Patty McCord。
James Brown
，
Read this for work。 Two things are for certain: Kim Scott has worked at Google， and also she's worked at Apple。 Read this for work。 Two things are for certain: Kim Scott has worked at Google， and also she's worked at Apple。 。。。more
Fran Frkovic
，
Anecdotes， even when they involve some of the best known names in Silicon Valley， aren’t a substitute to research and knowledge。 This book very often feels like author had a chance to have these well known people as bosses， and here we can see what they said in a few meetings。 We go through a bunch of leadership hints from Larry Page， Jobs， Ive， Sandberg and more， but we don’t really hear what they do in companies that author hasn’t worked in。 The core idea - care about your work， offer honest f Anecdotes， even when they involve some of the best known names in Silicon Valley， aren’t a substitute to research and knowledge。 This book very often feels like author had a chance to have these well known people as bosses， and here we can see what they said in a few meetings。 We go through a bunch of leadership hints from Larry Page， Jobs， Ive， Sandberg and more， but we don’t really hear what they do in companies that author hasn’t worked in。 The core idea - care about your work， offer honest feedback - is fine， but not something you’ll find here and nowhere else。 Many pieces of advice fall into the “obvious” bin。 Book opens with “when I first became a manager， I though humiliating peope is the way to motivate them” - I don’t know what to say about that， it sounds like a discarded joke from a draft of Silicon Valley （TV show） episode。 Last few chapters offer some solid advice on what to seek in 1-1 meetings， how to organize staff meetings and more。 The way it’s structured didn’t click for me。 In one paragraph the author works at Google， next is set in Apple， the one after is in Moscow but 15 years （？） earlier， and so on。 As many business and managment books， this one also would not lose much if it were a 40 page essay。 。。。more
Elizabeth
，
Very informative but repetitive book on leadership and supervision。 A lot of good pieces of info/advice that I will definitely implement！ 4-4。5 stars
Alison Colvin
，