TED Talks Daily How to lead with radical candor | Kim Scott
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Jun 13, 2025 
In this conversation, Kim Scott, a renowned CEO coach and author, unpacks the concept of radical candor. She articulates how to balance caring and challenging in leadership communications. Scott shares stories from her management experiences, highlighting the pitfalls of ruinous empathy when honest feedback is neglected. She emphasizes the importance of clear, compassionate communication in building strong workplace relationships. Ultimately, she provides practical insights for leaders aiming to foster a culture of openness and understanding.
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Radical Candor Defined
- Radical candor combines caring personally with challenging directly.
- Effective leadership must balance kindness and directness to avoid being mean or ineffective.
Problems of Obnoxious Aggression
- Obnoxious aggression happens when one challenges directly but fails to show personal care.
- This harms relationships, wastes communication, and often leads to passive-aggressive behavior.
Danger of Ruinous Empathy
- Ruinous empathy happens when caring about feelings overrides the need to challenge and give honest feedback.
- This well-intentioned kindness ultimately harms individuals and teams by avoiding necessary corrections.