A major technology issue happened at the pizza store this week, causing much angst, frustration and temporary loss of income.

A past version of self would have felt extremely anxious, angry and spiralled into rumination. Yet, radical candour (Scott 2018) helped reframe the entire process.

What is radical candour?

Scott (2018) notes that radical candour helps an individual work toward “caring personally” and “challenging directly” when considering the act of offering feedback.

Figure 1: Radical Candour Framework (Scott 2018)

By framing feedback using this model, the recipient is able to objectively receive communication. The threat response reduces and the reward response increases, resulting in a mutually beneficial outcome.

For example, let’s say you have to deliver some tough feedback to a colleague about their performance on a project.

Instead of beating around the bush or sugar-coating the message, radical candour would mean addressing the issue directly but with empathy and respect for the person’s feelings.

You might say something like, “I appreciate your hard work on this project, but I noticed some areas where we could improve. Let’s discuss how we can work together to make those improvements.”

So, how can radical candour help when a computer dies? 

Our in-store computer runs our POS and acts as a ‘server’ for the e-commerce operations. If that computer goes down, the ripple effect is a big deal. 

A few weeks ago, we replaced the server and it was playing up. Long story short, I thought I fixed the issue with a new power cable. Turns out the power supply was dead. 

I could have lost my cool several times. But a sense of empathy arose. I knew the support team and the account manager were doing their best. I knew my staff were helping to navigate the issue too. I knew my business partner was probably feeling super stressed. 

Breathing alleviated the fight/flight response. And knowing that radical candour was the only option helped soothe any desire to choose anger as a response.

How can you use the radical candour framework in your life? I’d love you to share your ideas in the comments below.

References:

Scott K (2018) Care personally. Challenge directly. – Insights for Entrepreneurs – Amazon, YouTube video, accessed 17 January 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWaJ2pkDiWU

Dumlao N (n.d.) Woman in black shirt holding white ceramic mug, Unsplash website, https://unsplash.com/photos/woman-in-black-shirt-holding-white-ceramic-mug-L86vy42TB-w, accessed 21 March 2024.