The Importance of Caring Personally

3min Snip

00:00

Play full episode

Summary

Transcript

Episode notes

Leaders are so worried about not hurting people's feelings that they're reluctant to tell them when their work isn't nearly good enough. This I call ruinous empathy and the reason why not is because you aren't willing to challenge them in a way that helps them grow both personally and also professionally. The really nice ineffective person was the ruinously empathetic leader, according to one study.

Kim Scott: Radical Candor Kim Scott is a co-founder of Candor, Inc. She has been an advisor at Dropbox, Kurbo, Qualtrics, ReelGoodApp, Rolltape, Shyp, Twitter, and several other Silicon Valley companies. She is the author of the book Radical Candor: Be a Kickass Boss without Losing your Humanity*. Key Points Show you care at a personal level. You can’t build a relationship that’s not personal. In order to care personally for someone, you have to bring your whole self, not just your “business” persona. Sometimes we get so focused on the work that we forget there’s actually a person doing the work. Begin by soliciting feedback, not by giving it. To get feedback, come up with a go-to question like “Is there anything I could do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?” Resources Mentioned Radical Candor* by Kim Scott Radical Candor podcast Book Notes Download my highlights from Radical Candor in PDF format (free membership required). Related Episodes Start With Why, with Simon Sinek (episode 223) How to Manage Abrasive Leaders, with Sharone Bar-David (episode 290) How to Get the Ideal Team Player, with Patrick Lencioni (episode 301) Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic.