The Workplace Coach

I see too many managers loudly and proudly ‘being authentic’ or practicing ‘radical candour’ while they decimate somebody for poor performance or sub par results. Their authenticity, their candour and their delivery irreversibly damage the relationship. They inadvertently kill motivation and engagement, and potentially even inflict a psychosocial injury. This is not okay.

Pick up any leadership book in the airport or listen to a leadership podcast and you are going to come across some expert promoting the concepts of authentic leadership and/or radical candour. And to some extent, both of these philosophies align quite nicely in that they both emphasize the importance of being genuine, transparent and honest in your leadership and communication style.

Authentic leadership encourages leaders to be true to themselves and their values, while working to build an open and trusting work environment for their teams. It calls for leaders to be transparent about their intentions, their own strengths and weaknesses, and to share emotions and vulnerabilities with their people. Similarly, radical candour emphasizes honest and direct communication, where individuals express their thoughts and feedback openly, without sugarcoating or withholding important information.

However, it’s essential to note that while both concepts share similarities, they differ in their delivery and focus. Authentic leadership is a broader concept that encompasses various aspects of leadership, including self-awareness, integrity, and fostering positive relationships. On the other hand, radical candor is primarily focused on providing direct feedback and challenging directly while caring personally.

Now both of these are important leadership attributes but they cannot be to the exclusion of empathy, humanity, compassion and understanding.

I often ask my clients to think about the intent behind every interaction. Are they looking to build the relationship or damage it? Not one of them will say they are setting out to damage the relationship, but then they go and do just that.

If there was just one message that I would put to every person who has the awesome responsibility of leading people or teams it would be this… lead with empathy first. Simon Sinek puts it beautifully in this video below.

If you manage teams, and you are the type of leader who is always looking to learn, grow and improve, then you might consider giving us a call here at The Workplace Coach.