Radical Candor: Cutting to the Chase Kindly w/ Dr. Kate Smith | Ep. 45 | The Science of Leadership

In this episode of  @TheScienceofLeadership , Tom Collins welcomes Dr. Kate Smith, Senior Associate Dean of Biology Education and Professor of Medical Science at Brown University, to delve into the powerful concept of Radical Candor.

Dr. Smith explains that Radical Candor, as defined by Kim Scott, is about "how to say what you mean without being mean". It requires both caring personally and challenging directly. The conversation explores the pitfalls of leadership communication when Radical Candor is absent, identifying three common traps:

🔸Obnoxious Aggression: Challenging directly without personal care, leading to feelings of attack and disregarded criticism.

🔸Manipulative Insincerity: Offering insincere praise or talking negatively behind someone's back, which creates toxic workplaces.

🔸Ruinous Empathy: Protecting short-term feelings by avoiding direct feedback, often leading to regrettable mistakes and unaddressed poor performance.

Dr. Smith shares a personal anecdote demonstrating the immediate and positive impact of Radical Candor, highlighting its real-time, direct, and empathetic nature. They discuss how setting clear expectations for communication within a team fosters a culture where feedback is received more effectively.

The episode also touches upon the scientific backing for Radical Candor's components, such as transparency fostering psychological safety and collaboration , and empathy leading to higher job satisfaction, innovation, and performance. Dr. Smith emphasizes that Radical Candor isn't just for criticism; it's equally vital for delivering genuine, in-the-moment praise.

Ultimately, the discussion underscores that practicing Radical Candor builds trust, deepens connections, and increases efficiency, contributing not only to better leadership but to a better life overall. Tom and Dr. Smith even introduce the complementary concept of "Radical Curiosity" as a way for leaders to gain deeper understanding before offering feedback.

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Note: Dr. Smith inadvertently referred to Kim Scott, the author of Radical Candor, as "Kristen Scott" several times during the podcast. She recognized her mistake later and is sorry for that.

References

Bennis, W., Goleman, D. & O’Toole, J. (2008). Transparency: How Leaders Create a Culture of Candor. Jossey-Bass.

Edmondson, A. (1999). Psychological Safety and Learning Behavior in Work Teams. Administrative Science Quarterly, 44(2), 350–383. https://doi.org/10.2307/2666999

Edmondson, A. C. (2018). The Fearless Organization: Creating Psychological Safety in the Workplace for Learning, Innovation, and Growth. John Wiley & Sons.

Kock, N., Mayfield, M., Mayfield, J., Sexton, S. & Garza, L. M. D. L. (2019). Empathetic Leadership: How Leader Emotional Support and Understanding Influences Follower Performance. Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies, 26(2), 217–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1548051818806290

Scott, K. (2015). Radical Candor: How to Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity. St. Martin’s Press.

Vich, M. & Kim, M. Y. (2016). Construction and Application of Radical Candor: Efficiency of Criticism at Work. Central European Business Review, 5(4), 11–22.