Leadership Essentials: Radical Candor
Most feedback conversations go wrong before they even start.
Sometimes, leaders hesitate, afraid of hurting feelings or damaging relationships. So they soften the message—or avoid saying anything at all. This is ruinous empathy: caring so much about someone’s feelings that you fail to help them grow.
Other times, they go too far the other way—delivering feedback that stings more than it supports. The intent may be good, but it lands like an attack. This is obnoxious aggression, the kind of brutal honesty that feels more like a power move than genuine leadership.
And in the worst cases, feedback turns into a performance—polite words in public, real opinions in private. That’s manipulative insincerity, where a leader avoids direct conversations and allows people to fail without ever giving them a real chance to improve.
I’ve seen all of these. I’ve been all of these.
But the best feedback I’ve ever received—feedback that actually helped me grow—came from leaders who practiced radical candor. They challenged me directly because they wanted me to succeed. They cared personally enough to invest in my growth, even when the conversation was uncomfortable.
Kim Scott’s Radical Candor framework is simple, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Many of us were taught that professionalism means being “nice,” that conflict is bad, that directness feels aggressive. But leadership demands more. If you’re not telling people the truth, you’re not helping them. If you don’t care about them as people, they won’t listen.
Radical candor isn’t about delivering hard truths and walking away. It’s about committing to people’s success—sticking with them through the discomfort, guiding them through the challenge, and making sure they know that your feedback comes from a place of investment, not judgment.
How to Practice Radical Candor as a Leader
Start with care. People won’t hear you if they don’t believe you’re invested in them. Build real relationships.
Be direct, but not brutal. Say what needs to be said, but with the goal of helping, not tearing down.
Give feedback often. Waiting until performance reviews makes feedback feel like punishment. Normalize it.
Ask for it yourself. If you want a culture of candor, lead by example. Make it safe for your team to challenge you too.
The hardest conversations are often the most important ones. And the best leaders don’t avoid them. They lean in—with care and honesty.
Where have you seen radical candor work? And where has it backfired? Let’s discuss.