Booklist Reviews
Talk. Just talk honestly and candidly. Yet in the workplace, direct conversations are events to be avoided at all costs. Ask any manager—or employee. In response to this, former Googler, Apple-r, and jill-of-many-trades Scott has developed an ingeniously simple, practical practice routine that makes most of the performance issues in the employment world go away: radical candor. It is a combination of real caring relationships amplified by delivery of touch feedback—a contradiction, of sorts, to the work-life balance credo. As Scott and her mentors attest, through a variety of actual case histories and conversations, this works extraordinarily well to overcome bad manager syndrome. Her seven-step methodology—listen, clarify, debate, decide, persuade, execute, learn—is the tool by which bosses and employees get work done well. Plus it completely overcomes the paralysis and concerns during appraisal time. An amazing process that should work, when embraced and applied. Copyright 2018 Booklist Reviews.
Library Journal Reviews
During her extensive and varied experience in successful Silicon Valley enterprises, Scott (cofounder & CEO, Candor, Inc.; Virtual Love) studied the relationships between bosses and their direct reports, and determined that trust, honesty, and guidance are keys to successful management. Written with the end user in mind, this book's aim is to help anyone become a "kickass boss" by building radically candid relationships with coworkers and supervisees. At the heart of the book is the concept that being too nice (or "ruinously empathetic") can cause more harm than good; if a boss personally cares about their employees, they will put aside their own feelings and deliver candid, honest feedback to help them improve. Scott offers strategies to develop trusting relationships with subordinates; give, receive, and encourage guidance; and help teams avoid burnout and boredom. Clear and informative language paired with personal stories and anecdotes make this work accessible for most readers.
Publishers Weekly Reviews
Unfailing discretion and courtesy may get you far at a dinner party but will sink you as a manager, argues Scott, a cofounder of management consulting firm Candor, Inc. and a CEO coach in Silicon Valley. After six years at Google working for her business school buddy Sheryl Sandberg, she learned that relationships are the major building blocks of a career, and that only honesty—painfully candid honesty, if necessary—can lay solid foundations for good manager/employee relationships. The book aims to help bosses manage their emotions while helping failing employees (a difficult task for even the most experienced manager) and walks them through building "radically candid" relationships with direct reports. Radical candor lies in a place where caring about employees meets the willingness to challenge them directly. Scott walks readers through understanding the motivation of subordinates, making tough decisions, establishing rapport, and helping employees avoid "boredom and burnout." She also runs through a list of strategies for building solid working relationships. Informational and clear, this is necessary reading for anyone who's having trouble coming to terms with an underperforming workforce. (Mar.)
Copyright 2016 Publishers Weekly.