From Feedback to Growth: Become a Better Leader with Radical Candor
What makes someone a great leader? For Kim Scott, the answer became clear after a tough but powerful moment in her career.
Kim Scott was giving a presentation to Google’s leadership team, including top executives like the founders. After the talk, her boss, Sheryl Sandberg (yes, that Sheryl from Facebook), told her, “You say ‘um’ a lot when you speak.”
Kim brushed it off. It was just a small thing, right? But Sheryl continued, “When you say ‘um’ every few sentences, it makes you sound less confident. I know you can fix it, and I’ll help you.”
That feedback changed everything. Kim realized that Sheryl gave her a hard truth—but with kindness and care. That moment helped inspire Kim’s leadership method, which she later shared in her book: Radical Candor.
What Is Radical Candor?
Radical Candor is a leadership approach that helps managers and team leaders guide their teams effectively without being rude, or too soft.
It’s built on two simple ideas:
Care Personally: Show that you care about your team as people, not just workers.
Challenge Directly: Give honest feedback that helps them grow.
When you do both, you practice Radical Candor. You build trust, encourage improvement, and help people become their best.
The 4 Leadership Styles
Kim explains leadership using a simple chart with four styles:
Radical Candor – Care personally, challenge directly. The ideal leadership style.
Ruinous Empathy – Care personally, don’t challenge directly. You’re kind but don’t give honest feedback, so people stay stuck.
Obnoxious Aggression – Don’t care, challenge directly. You give harsh feedback with no care, which hurts relationships.
Manipulative Insincerity – Don’t care, don’t challenge. The worst place to be, people stop trusting you.
The HHIPP Rule: How to Give Feedback the Right Way
Kim created a simple rule to guide feedback: HHIPP. Here’s what it means:
Humble – Don’t act like you know everything.
Helpful – The feedback should help the person improve.
Immediate – Don’t wait. Give feedback as soon as possible.
In person – Say it face-to-face. Criticism should be in private, praise in public.
Doesn’t Personalize – Focus on the behavior, not the person.
“My boss didn’t say, ‘You’re stupid.’ She said, ‘You sounded stupid when you said um.’ There’s a big difference.”
This small detail, criticizing the action, not the person, is what makes Radical Candor respectful and effective.
Final Thoughts
Leadership isn’t about control or perfection. It’s about connection, clarity, and care. When you speak honestly and support your team with kindness, you help them succeed, and grow as a leader yourself.
Kim Scott’s Radical Candor is a reminder that strong teams are built through trust, feedback, and compassion.
If you want to dive deeper, Kim Scott’s book Radical Candor is a great place to start!
References
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity - Kim Scott
Video Tip: What is Radical Candor? Learn the Basic Principles In 6 Minutes