Your Boss Has Read This Book - Radical Candor by Kim Scott

Sep 15, 2025

Dive into the insights of effective management with a focus on Radical Candor. Explore the balance between direct feedback and personal care. Discover the dangers of ruinous empathy and how it can derail careers. Learn the importance of bringing your whole self to work while maintaining professionalism. The hosts share personal anecdotes on navigating workplace culture and the dynamics of constructive disagreement. Plus, find out why a balance between ambitious superstars and steady rock stars is vital for a thriving tech environment.

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insights

INSIGHT

Care And Directness Are Both Required

Radical Candor pairs authentic care with direct challenge to improve performance and growth.
Kim Scott frames management as building relationships where praise and criticism both help people grow.

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ANECDOTE

Firing That Could Have Been Prevented

Kim Scott recounts a startup employee who performed poorly and was eventually fired after nobody gave honest feedback.
She argues it would have been kinder to give direct feedback earlier so the employee could improve.

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ADVICE

Model Receiving Feedback First

Ask for honest feedback and listen without defending to model radical candor.
Show you can take critique first to create permission for others to speak up.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Mastering Radical Candor in Leadership

02:02 • 19min

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The Pitfalls of Ruinous Empathy

20:49 • 6min

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Navigating Workplace Culture and Management Dynamics

27:04 • 6min

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Authenticity and Professionalism at Work

33:21 • 9min

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Navigating Workplace Politeness and Constructive Disagreement

42:36 • 3min

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Balancing Rock Stars and Superstars in Tech

45:07 • 27min

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In this episode of Book Overflow, Carter and Nathan discuss the first half of Radical Candor by Kim Scott! Join them as they discuss what makes a good boss, what makes up good feedback, and more!

-- Want to talk with Carter or Nathan? Book a coaching session! --

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Carter

https://www.joinleland.com/coach/carter-m-1

Nathan

https://www.joinleland.com/coach/nathan-t-2

-- Books Mentioned in this Episode --

Note: As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Radical Candor

https://amzn.to/3HXRukj

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00:00 Intro

02:07 About the Book and Author

03:06 Initial Thoughts on Radical Candor Part 1

13:00 The Four Quadrants Framework

21:26 Ruinous Empathy - The Career Destroyer

32:39 Bringing Your Whole Self to Work

46:36 Rock Stars vs Superstars

1:03:18 Hot Takes

1:08:49 Final Thoughts and Recommendations

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/5kj6DLCEWR5nHShlSYJI5L

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/book-overflow/id1745257325

X: https://x.com/bookoverflowpod

Carter on X: https://x.com/cartermorgan

Nathan's Functionally Imperative: www.functionallyimperative.com

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Book Overflow is a podcast for software engineers, by software engineers dedicated to improving our craft by reading the best technical books in the world. Join Carter Morgan and Nathan Toups as they read and discuss a new technical book each week!

The full book schedule and links to every major podcast player can be found at https://www.bookoverflow.io

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