Book tip: “Radical Candor – Be a kickass boss without losing your humanity” by Kim Scott

1. Fire employees
2. Appraise employees

On the second topic, I recently read an interesting book by Kim Scott. It describes what I consider a win-win approach for all parties, absolute truthfulness in communication coupled with human empathy. Clear, honest feedback, unequivocal and substantive, meets with high acceptance when people are perceived as human beings and treated on an equal footing. The author describes frequent but dysfunctional styles (watch out – one can recognize one-self and others) and radical candor as constructive counter-concept, the concept of complete honesty in the shared interest in the company’s success.

Incidentally, Radical Candor should also apply to feedback from employees to their bosses. The latest examples of the diesel scandal and airline crashes show that corporate cultures where open communication on an equal footing is undesirable can lead to economic and human catastrophes.
The book title is a matter of taste (not necessarily mine) and, for Europeans, access to the topic is very much oriented to the SiliconValley business environment. However, style and expression should not hide the fact that the underlying message is correct. After all, Silicon Valley companies are among the most innovative and successful in the world.