Episode 33: Kim Scott on How Radical Candor Creates a High-Performing Work Culture

Outperform with Acceleration Partners

On this episode of Outperform, we get candid with Kim Scott about radical candor.

Kim is the author of Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal Best Seller. She is also the co-founder of the company, Radical Candor, LLC.

Kim has been an advisor at Dropbox, Kurbo, Qualtrics, ReelGoodApp, Rolltape, Shyp, Twitter, and several other Silicon Valley companies. She was a member of the faculty at Apple University and before that led AdSense, YouTube, and Doubleclick Online Sales and Operations at Google.

Previously, Kim was the co-founder and CEO of Juice Software, a collaboration start-up, and led business development at Delta Three and Capital Thinking. Earlier in her career, Kim worked as a senior policy advisor at the FCC, managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo, started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow, and was an analyst on the Soviet Companies Fund.

Episode show notes:

• How Sheryl Sandberg practiced radical candor with Kim
• Why radical candor requires that we undo training we learned as a child
• The four feedback quadrants and how to use the them
• Why well-meaning feedback training often inhibits our ability to give feedback
• Three steps to giving caring, candid feedback
• Why giving feedback immediately is important
• How giving and receiving feedback well is essential to capacity-building
• Difference between rock stars and super stars and how to fairly manage the people in these different modes
• Why companies need to create growth opportunities for people in individual contributor roles – without requiring them to become managers of people
• Why Ruinous Empathy is one of the worst forms of feedback
• One of Kim’s most painful experiences in her career NOT being radically candid with an employee

Hear more Outperform podcast episodes at http://www.accelerationpartners.com/resource-center/our-podcasts/.