DREIESKIVA​|Roald Kvam

Over the past 30 years, I’ve had the privilege of walking alongside individuals, teams, and organizations as they navigate change, shape their culture, build capacity, and pursue long-term, sustainable growth.

I believe in people! I love everything in and between humans.

And am constantly seeking to learn more – and understand how we can take care and challenge each other better. Kim Scott gives us an interesting framework in his book «Radical Candor: Be a kick-ass boss without losing your humanity». At the heart of Radical Candor is a simple but powerful concept:

Great leaders challenge directly, while caring personally.

Kim Scott argues that effective leadership—especially when giving feedback—relies on the ability to be both honest and human. You must be able to say the hard things, but from a place of genuine care.

Let’s explore…

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The Radical Candor framework

Scott introduces a 2×2 framework built on two dimensions:

1. Care Personally – Show that you genuinely care about the people you work with as human beings.
2. Challenge Directly – Say what needs to be said, even when it’s uncomfortable.

This creates four quadrants:

🟩 Radical Candor (Care Personally + Challenge Directly)

• Honest, clear, respectful feedback
• Strengthens relationships
• Builds trust and growth
• Example: “You’re capable of so much more, and I believe in you—that’s why I need to tell you this.”

🟥 Obnoxious Aggression (Challenge Directly, but Don’t Care Personally)

• Brutal honesty without empathy
• Can hurt morale, create fear
• Often mistaken for “tough love”

🟨 Ruinous Empathy (Care Personally, but Don’t Challenge Directly)

• Avoiding the truth to spare feelings
• Leads to unaddressed issues, poor performance
• Example: Praising someone publicly but never giving the feedback they need to improve

🟦 Manipulative Insincerity (Neither Caring nor Challenging)

• Passive-aggressive, political, insincere communication
• Often results from fear, burnout, or disengagement

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Why it matters

• People don’t improve without feedback.
• Avoiding hard conversations causes long-term damage—to trust, results, and culture.
• A good boss builds relationships where truth is safe, expected, and appreciated.

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How to practice Radical Candor

1. Start by soliciting feedback

• Ask: “Is there anything I could do or stop doing that would make your life better?”
• Make it safe for others to challenge you first.

2. Give feedback immediately

• Don’t wait for formal reviews—do it in the moment.
• Use specific, sincere praise and clear, direct criticism.

3. Focus on guidance, not judgment

• Feedback should be about improvement, not punishment.
• Say it like you’d want it said to you.

4. Understand your relationships

• Build trust by investing in people personally.
• Know their goals, values, and motivations.

5. Don’t confuse niceness with kindness

• Being «nice» often means avoiding conflict.
• True kindness is being honest—even when it’s hard.

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Radical Candor at scale

Scott also outlines how to:

• Build a feedback-rich team culture
• Run effective 1:1 meetings
• Avoid micromanaging while still holding people accountable
• Create an environment where people feel seen, safe, and stretched

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Final thought

Radical Candor isn’t about being perfect—it’s about being brave enough to care, and honest enough to challenge. The goal isn’t to win arguments or avoid discomfort, but to create workplaces where people grow, perform, and thrive—together.

“Radical Candor is what happens when you put ‘Care Personally’ and ‘Challenge Directly’ together. It’s kind and clear, specific and sincere.”