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{ "episode": { "guest": "Kim Scott", "expertise_tags": [ "Leadership", "Feedback", "Management", "Organizational Culture", "Radical Candor", "People Management" ], "summary": "Kim Scott, author of the bestselling book Radical Candor (1M+ copies sold, 23 languages), discusses the framework for effective feedback and leadership. Radical Candor combines caring personally with challenging directly. Scott shares practical language and frameworks (HHIIPPP, CORE) for delivering feedback, handling ruinous empathy and obnoxious aggression, and building feedback cultures. She discusses her experience at Google, her mistakes with an employee named Bob, how to solicit feedback from teams, and her new book Radical Respect addressing bias and bullying in workplaces.", "key_frameworks": [ "Radical Candor (Care Personally + Challenge Directly)", "Two-by-Two Framework (Radical Candor, Obnoxious Aggression, Ruinous Empathy, Manipulative Insincerity)", "HHIIPPP (Humble, Helpful, Immediate, In-person, Praise publicly, Criticize privately, Personality-focused feedback)", "CORE (Context, Observation, Result, [Next step]E)", "Career Conversations Framework (Past, Future, Action Plan)" ] }, "topics": [ { "id": "topic_1", "title": "Introduction to Radical Candor Framework", "summary": "Kim Scott introduces the core concept of Radical Candor as the intersection of caring personally and challenging directly. She explains the two-by-two framework with four quadrants: Radical Candor, Obnoxious Aggression, Ruinous Empathy, and Manipulative Insincerity.", "timestamp_start": "00:04:04", "timestamp_end": "00:08:26", "line_start": 31, "line_end": 57 }, { "id": "topic_2", "title": "Impact of Radical Candor: The Um Story", "summary": "Kim shares her personal story from Google about receiving feedback on saying 'um' too frequently during presentations. Her boss demonstrated radical candor by caring personally (supporting her through her father's cancer diagnosis) while challenging directly (eventually telling her bluntly that 'um' made her sound stupid).", "timestamp_start": "00:08:48", "timestamp_end": "00:14:07", "line_start": 61, "line_end": 87 }, { "id": "topic_3", "title": "Language and Frameworks for Delivering Feedback", "summary": "Kim provides specific language and frameworks for giving feedback effectively. She introduces HHIIPPP (Humble, Helpful, Immediate, In-person/synchronous, Praise publicly, Criticize privately, Personality) and CORE (Context, Observation, Result, [E]Next step) as memory aids.", "timestamp_start": "00:14:31", "timestamp_end": "00:20:31", "line_start": 91, "line_end": 125 }, { "id": "topic_4", "title": "Ruinous Empathy: The Bob Story", "summary": "Kim tells the cautionary tale of Bob, an employee whose poor work she failed to address for 10 months due to ruinous empathy and manipulative insincerity. This inaction ultimately led to his firing and the disengagement of her high-performing team members. She explains how not giving feedback harms everyone.", "timestamp_start": "00:20:47", "timestamp_end": "00:27:50", "line_start": 128, "line_end": 165 }, { "id": "topic_5", "title": "Overcoming People-Pleasing to Give Direct Feedback", "summary": "Kim discusses how to overcome the people-pleaser tendency that prevents direct feedback. She emphasizes refocusing from wanting to be liked to genuinely caring about the other person's growth and success, and addresses the additional likability-competence bias women face.", "timestamp_start": "00:28:15", "timestamp_end": "00:33:31", "line_start": 169, "line_end": 195 }, { "id": "topic_6", "title": "Career Conversations: Understanding Motivation and Growth", "summary": "Kim recommends three separate 45-minute career conversations with direct reports: one about their past, one about their future dreams, and one to create a career action plan. This approach demonstrates care and helps align development with employee aspirations.", "timestamp_start": "00:33:57", "timestamp_end": "00:35:51", "line_start": 196, "line_end": 230 }, { "id": "topic_7", "title": "Building Feedback Culture in Skeptical Organizations", "summary": "Kim addresses the challenge of implementing radical candor in cultures oriented toward ruinous empathy. She emphasizes that the order of operations matters: start by soliciting feedback from others first, which creates psychological safety for giving feedback in return.", "timestamp_start": "00:36:45", "timestamp_end": "00:38:33", "line_start": 235, "line_end": 242 }, { "id": "topic_8", "title": "How to Solicit Feedback Effectively", "summary": "Kim provides detailed guidance on soliciting feedback. She emphasizes asking authentic questions rather than generic ones, specific tactics like counting to six seconds of silence to overcome discomfort, and practical recommendations for frequency and approach with direct reports and peers.", "timestamp_start": "00:38:33", "timestamp_end": "00:43:59", "line_start": 239, "line_end": 276 }, { "id": "topic_9", "title": "Listening to and Rewarding Critical Feedback", "summary": "Kim outlines the steps for receiving feedback well: listen to understand (not to respond), manage your defensive reactions, ask follow-up questions for clarity, and reward the candor by fixing problems and showing visible improvement. She emphasizes that disagreement is healthy if handled respectfully.", "timestamp_start": "00:44:56", "timestamp_end": "00:47:51", "line_start": 285, "line_end": 296 }, { "id": "topic_10", "title": "Giving Feedback to Your Boss as an Employee", "summary": "Kim explains that the order of operations applies up, down, and sideways in organizations. Employees should also solicit feedback from bosses and give both praise and criticism. She discusses gauging emotional responses and adjusting feedback delivery based on whether the person looks sad or mad.", "timestamp_start": "00:54:16", "timestamp_end": "00:57:43", "line_start": 361, "line_end": 378 }, { "id": "topic_11", "title": "Changing Leaders with Low Self-Awareness", "summary": "Kim discusses how to influence leaders who believe obnoxious aggression is necessary or have low empathy. She recommends explaining the impact they're having, showing the business case (enlightened self-interest), and sharing your own stories of mistakes to help them recognize their blind spots.", "timestamp_start": "00:58:05", "timestamp_end": "01:01:14", "line_start": 382, "line_end": 396 }, { "id": "topic_12", "title": "Steve Jobs, Elon Musk, and Ray Dalio: Different Models of Leadership", "summary": "Kim contrasts different leadership styles, distinguishing between Steve Jobs (who built genuine caring relationships despite being sometimes harsh) and Ray Dalio/Elon Musk (who practice more egregious obnoxious aggression). She argues for the false dichotomy between competence and caring.", "timestamp_start": "01:04:00", "timestamp_end": "01:07:40", "line_start": 428, "line_end": 448 }, { "id": "topic_13", "title": "Developing Your Authentic Leadership Style", "summary": "Kim discusses helping people-pleasers like herself develop authentic leadership. Rather than adopting a script, leaders should find language that feels natural while prioritizing genuine care for team members over personal comfort and likability.", "timestamp_start": "01:07:50", "timestamp_end": "01:10:47", "line_start": 449, "line_end": 465 }, { "id": "topic_14", "title": "Common Misconceptions About Radical Candor", "summary": "Kim addresses the most common misunderstanding: people thinking radical candor means they can act like jerks as long as they claim it's in the spirit of the framework. She also introduces her new book, Radical Respect, which addresses bias, prejudice, and bullying that she failed to notice earlier.", "timestamp_start": "01:11:17", "timestamp_end": "01:14:41", "line_start": 481, "line_end": 491 }, { "id": "topic_15", "title": "Introducing Radical Respect: Addressing Bias and Bullying", "summary": "Kim discusses her upcoming book Radical Respect, prompted by a black female CEO explaining how she's called an 'angry black woman' when giving feedback. The book addresses four roles everyone plays: leader, person harmed by bias, upstander, and culprit.", "timestamp_start": "01:12:04", "timestamp_end": "01:15:48", "line_start": 484, "line_end": 506 }, { "id": "topic_16", "title": "Practical Next Steps: Writing Your Go-To Question", "summary": "Kim provides tactical advice for immediately improving at radical candor: write down your authentic feedback solicitation question, practice it in front of a mirror and with a friend, and schedule time to ask it of someone. She emphasizes this is the most impactful week-long action.", "timestamp_start": "01:16:00", "timestamp_end": "01:16:44", "line_start": 514, "line_end": 521 }, { "id": "topic_17", "title": "Lightning Round: Books, Movies, and Leadership Wisdom", "summary": "Kim recommends novels as a way to build empathy and care personally, specifically mentioning Middlemarch, Toni Morrison's work, Orlando, and the Color Purple. She also discusses watching Grey's Anatomy, her favorite interview question about career stories, and her favorite product.", "timestamp_start": "01:17:07", "timestamp_end": "01:21:35", "line_start": 532, "line_end": 587 }, { "id": "topic_18", "title": "The Stranger on Manhattan Streets: Origin of 'It's Not Mean, It's Clear'", "summary": "Kim shares the origin story of her core motto. A stranger on a Manhattan street told her about her dog, 'It's not mean, it's clear,' while giving direct instruction. This moment crystallized the philosophy behind Radical Candor and remains her guiding principle.", "timestamp_start": "01:21:46", "timestamp_end": "01:22:30", "line_start": 592, "line_end": 594 }, { "id": "topic_19", "title": "Diamond Cutting Factory in Moscow: First Management Lesson", "summary": "Kim recounts her first management role starting a diamond cutting factory in Russia in 1990. She learned that management matters when she realized workers wanted a manager who would care about them and get them out if Russia destabilized. This experience taught her that caring is essential to leadership.", "timestamp_start": "01:22:41", "timestamp_end": "01:24:58", "line_start": 598, "line_end": 611 } ], "insights": [ { "id": "i1", "text": "Most people (90%) make 90% of their mistakes in the ruinous empathy bucket, not obnoxious aggression. It's harder to notice when you've been ruinously empathetic than when you've been aggressively rude.", "context": "Kim explains that while obnoxious aggression gets attention, ruinous empathy (caring but not challenging) is the most common problem in organizations.", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 55, "line_end": 56 }, { "id": "i2", "text": "When you act like a jerk to someone, you send them into fight or flight mode and they literally cannot hear what you're saying, making obnoxious aggression inefficient.", "context": "Kim explains why obnoxious aggression backfires: it's not just that it hurts people, it doesn't work.", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 34, "line_end": 35 }, { "id": "i3", "text": "Relationships don't scale, but culture does. Leaders can't build deep caring relationships with everyone in a large organization, but if they treat their direct reports with real care, that creates a culture of caring that scales.", "context": "Kim discusses how her boss's personal care created conditions for a culture of caring across the organization.", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 83, "line_end": 84 }, { "id": "i4", "text": "If you say 'Do you have any feedback for me?' you're wasting your breath. Ask a more specific question like 'What could I do or stop doing that would make it easier to work with me?' but make it sound authentically like you, not like Kim Scott.", "context": "Kim provides the most fundamental tactic for soliciting feedback: the right question phrased in your authentic voice.", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 239, "line_end": 240 }, { "id": "i5", "text": "Candor implies a dialogue, not a monologue. Be humble about your understanding because you might be wrong. Omniscience is not a requirement for radical candor.", "context": "Kim explains why the framing of feedback matters: it should feel like a conversation where you might learn something, not a pronouncement of truth.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 95, "line_end": 96 }, { "id": "i6", "text": "Give feedback immediately unless you're so upset you'll say it badly or the other person is too upset to hear. If you tell yourself 'I'll wait for a better moment,' what you really mean is 'I'll never say it.'", "context": "Kim emphasizes timing as critical to effective feedback delivery.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 98, "line_end": 99 }, { "id": "i7", "text": "Phone is often better than video for feedback conversations because facial expressions and body language contain more noise than signal. Phone calls make you focus on the actual words being said.", "context": "Kim recommends synchronous communication over asynchronous, and phone over video.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 101, "line_end": 102 }, { "id": "i8", "text": "Don't give feedback via email, text, or Slack. Slack is a feedback train wreck waiting to happen. Synchronous communication is essential to gauge how feedback is landing.", "context": "Kim is emphatic about avoiding written feedback channels for critical or praise feedback.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 104, "line_end": 105 }, { "id": "i9", "text": "Praise in public, criticize in private. Never give praise or criticism about personality traits, only about specific behaviors and their impact.", "context": "Kim provides the foundational rules for feedback delivery.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 107, "line_end": 110 }, { "id": "i10", "text": "Use CORE framework: Context (where), Observation (what you noticed), Result (impact), [E]Next step. This works for both praise and criticism.", "context": "Kim provides the practical structure for delivering feedback effectively.", "topic_id": "topic_3", "line_start": 110, "line_end": 111 }, { "id": "i11", "text": "By not telling Bob his work was inadequate, I wasn't being nice—I was being cruel. I fired him without ever giving him a fair chance to improve. Not telling someone what they need to know for their own growth is unkind in the long run.", "context": "Kim's key insight from the Bob story: what feels kind in the moment (protecting feelings) is actually unkind in the long term.", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 155, "line_end": 159 }, { "id": "i12", "text": "When you fail to give feedback to a struggling employee, you lose your top performers who see problems going unaddressed. High performers want to work somewhere they can do their best work, and they leave when mediocre work is tolerated.", "context": "Kim explains the hidden cost of ruinous empathy: it damages team morale and performance culture.", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 152, "line_end": 153 }, { "id": "i13", "text": "Help people excel on your team or help them find a different job where they can excel. Everyone can do great work somewhere. Your job is to help, not to be liked.", "context": "Kim reframes the manager's responsibility from protecting people to helping them succeed.", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 164, "line_end": 165 }, { "id": "i14", "text": "The likability-competence bias affects women especially. Women are more likely to be seen as bossy or abrasive for giving the same feedback as men, which can push women toward ruinous empathy.", "context": "Kim discusses gender dynamics in feedback delivery and the additional pressures women face.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 170, "line_end": 171 }, { "id": "i15", "text": "Ask diagnostic questions before delivering criticism. 'It looks like you're not happy with this—what's going on?' This can help the person notice issues themselves, but do it with humility in case you're misreading them.", "context": "Kim provides a more nuanced approach to feedback that respects the other person's perspective.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 179, "line_end": 180 }, { "id": "i16", "text": "Sometimes it's better to point out every single careless mistake rather than asking someone to find them themselves, especially if they're defensive or likely to brush off the feedback.", "context": "Kim explains when to be thorough in feedback versus when to be coaching.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 182, "line_end": 185 }, { "id": "i17", "text": "We often fear someone getting upset more than they actually will. We have a negativity bias when it comes to feedback, which makes us reluctant to give it.", "context": "Kim identifies a cognitive bias that prevents feedback delivery.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 185, "line_end": 186 }, { "id": "i18", "text": "Focus on demonstrating care more than being liked. If you demonstrate that you care about someone and do the right thing that will ultimately benefit them, the conditions for a good relationship are created, not destroyed.", "context": "Kim reframes the feedback conversation from a likability test to a care demonstration.", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 191, "line_end": 192 }, { "id": "i19", "text": "Work backwards from career aspirations. Ask what someone wants to achieve in their career, then identify the skills gaps or behaviors preventing them from getting there. Make feedback a roadmap to success, not criticism.", "context": "Kim describes a tactical approach to feedback that connects to employee ambitions.", "topic_id": "topic_6", "line_start": 194, "line_end": 200 }, { "id": "i20", "text": "Three 45-minute career conversations work better than ongoing vague career development: one about their past (what motivates them), one about their future (dreams for their career), and one to create an action plan (skills to develop, connections to make).", "context": "Kim provides a structured approach to career development conversations.", "topic_id": "topic_6", "line_start": 197, "line_end": 200 }, { "id": "i21", "text": "The order of operations for radical candor is crucial: solicit feedback first. This takes the first and most important step to improve the relationship and create psychological safety for giving feedback.", "context": "Kim emphasizes that receiving feedback is the prerequisite for a feedback culture.", "topic_id": "topic_7", "line_start": 236, "line_end": 237 }, { "id": "i22", "text": "Leaders should solicit feedback from direct reports every week (5 minutes at the end of 1-on-1s), from cross-functional peers, and from their boss. Don't ask the same question every time or it will sound like you don't really want the answer.", "context": "Kim provides frequency and scope guidance for soliciting feedback.", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 248, "line_end": 249 }, { "id": "i23", "text": "There's no emotional Novocaine for feedback. No matter the perfect words, the other person will feel uncomfortable. The only way out is through. Embrace the discomfort by closing your mouth and counting to six seconds of silence.", "context": "Kim acknowledges the emotional difficulty of feedback and provides a specific tactic.", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 275, "line_end": 276 }, { "id": "i24", "text": "Listen with intent to understand, not to respond. It's okay to feel defensive—that's human. Manage that reaction by thinking of follow-up questions to really understand what the person is saying.", "context": "Kim provides guidance on the listening part of receiving feedback.", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 284, "line_end": 285 }, { "id": "i25", "text": "Reward the candor by fixing problems visibly and loudly. Thank the person and show them you took action. Ask follow-up questions to confirm you corrected appropriately.", "context": "Kim emphasizes that acknowledging feedback isn't enough—you must demonstrate change.", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 290, "line_end": 291 }, { "id": "i26", "text": "When you disagree with feedback, find 5-10% you can agree with and give voice to it. Then say 'I want to think about the rest' and actually get back to them with a respectful explanation. Unspoken disagreement harms relationships, but respectful disagreement strengthens them.", "context": "Kim addresses how to handle disagreement on feedback without harming relationships.", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 293, "line_end": 296 }, { "id": "i27", "text": "This is not as much work as failing to give feedback. Doing it immediately in conversations that are happening anyway (walking to the next meeting, 1-on-1s) doesn't add time. Emotional discipline matters more than time management.", "context": "Kim addresses the objection that radical candor requires too much time.", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 338, "line_end": 342 }, { "id": "i28", "text": "If you're scheduled back-to-back, either adjust your calendar (make meetings 25 mins instead of 30) or be willing to be late to your next meeting for a feedback conversation. These moments of management are more important than punctuality.", "context": "Kim provides practical solutions for finding time for feedback.", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 341, "line_end": 344 }, { "id": "i29", "text": "Feedback is relationship hygiene, like brushing and flossing. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Two minutes now prevents a root canal later.", "context": "Kim uses health analogies to emphasize the importance of ongoing feedback.", "topic_id": "topic_16", "line_start": 350, "line_end": 351 }, { "id": "i30", "text": "Reading novels builds empathy and helps you move up on the care personally dimension. Understanding other people's emotional signals and inner lives makes you a better leader and communicator.", "context": "Kim recommends fiction as a leadership development tool.", "topic_id": "topic_17", "line_start": 539, "line_end": 540 }, { "id": "i31", "text": "When interviewing, ask people to tell the story of their career. You learn how they handle setbacks, whether they acknowledge their mistakes, whether they take credit appropriately, and their depth of knowledge.", "context": "Kim provides a core interview question with multiple signals it reveals.", "topic_id": "topic_17", "line_start": 581, "line_end": 582 }, { "id": "i32", "text": "You do not have to choose between being successful and being a jerk. You can be a successful kind person. This is not a false choice.", "context": "Kim's core thesis: caring and high performance are not in tension.", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 527, "line_end": 528 }, { "id": "i33", "text": "Steve Jobs built such good relationships that when he got cancer, Tim Cook offered half his liver. Radical candor gets measured at the listener's ear, not the speaker's mouth. Context of relationship matters in how direct feedback is received.", "context": "Kim distinguishes Steve Jobs from Elon Musk and Ray Dalio based on relationship quality.", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 431, "line_end": 432 }, { "id": "i34", "text": "In Russia, I learned that what workers really wanted was a manager who would give a damn about them and get them out if things went bad. Management really matters because people matter. Caring is essential.", "context": "Kim's founding insight about why management and caring matter, from her diamond cutting factory experience.", "topic_id": "topic_19", "line_start": 605, "line_end": 606 } ], "examples": [ { "explicit_text": "At Google, I had to give a presentation to the founders and CEO about how the AdSense business was doing. One founder was on an elliptical trainer wearing toe shoes and bright blue spandex.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott", "confidence": 0.95, "tags": [ "Google", "AdSense", "presentation", "leadership", "feedback", "growth" ], "lesson": "Shows how personal presentation anxiety can be overcome by strong business results, and how an effective leader (her boss) uses that moment to deliver crucial feedback about saying 'um'", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 62, "line_end": 63 }, { "explicit_text": "My boss said 'When you say um every third word, it makes you sound stupid' and offered to pay for a speech coach. It was the kindest thing she could have done because she knew me well enough to know I wouldn't go unless she was that direct.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott, Google boss (name not given)", "confidence": 0.85, "tags": [ "Google", "feedback", "direct communication", "caring", "speech", "presentation skills" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates that saying exactly the right thing, even if it sounds harsh, is more caring than being gentle when the person won't listen to gentleness", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 74, "line_end": 78 }, { "explicit_text": "When my father was diagnosed with late stage cancer, my boss said 'Go to the airport, fly home to Memphis, your team and I will write your coverage plan.' That's what great teams do for one another.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott, her Google boss", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Google", "care personally", "family", "leadership", "support", "human" ], "lesson": "Shows how genuine care for people's lives outside work builds trust and the foundation for direct feedback", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 83, "line_end": 84 }, { "explicit_text": "I hired Bob who was smart, charming, and funny. He did terrible work riddled with sloppy mistakes. I kept saying 'Oh Bob, this is such a great start. You're so awesome.' For 10 months I didn't tell him his work wasn't good enough. Eventually I had to fire him.", "inferred_identity": "Bob (name anonymized by Kim Scott)", "confidence": 0.7, "tags": [ "ruinous empathy", "people pleasing", "feedback failure", "manager mistake", "firing", "team impact" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates how avoiding hard feedback due to empathy or people-pleasing ultimately harms the person and the team. By being falsely nice, you prevent someone from improving and eventually you have to fire them, which is much worse", "topic_id": "topic_4", "line_start": 140, "line_end": 159 }, { "explicit_text": "At Apple University, I saw the importance of building culture at scale. As a woman in tech, I faced the likability-competence bias where feedback I gave was seen as bossy or abrasive compared to how men were perceived.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott", "confidence": 0.85, "tags": [ "Apple", "Apple University", "gender bias", "leadership", "culture", "feedback" ], "lesson": "Shows how systemic biases affect feedback delivery and why women need different support in becoming comfortable with direct feedback", "topic_id": "topic_5", "line_start": 5, "line_end": 170 }, { "explicit_text": "Shortly after I left Google, I was approached to work at Bridgewater in a management capacity. Someone there told me they recorded a meeting where people harshly criticized a woman's personal attributes and made her cry, then emailed the video to the whole company as an example of how to give feedback.", "inferred_identity": "Bridgewater Associates, Ray Dalio's firm", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Bridgewater", "obnoxious aggression", "toxic culture", "feedback failure", "public humiliation" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates the extreme case of obnoxious aggression being mistaken for radical candor. Shows that recording and broadcasting criticism of someone's personality is harmful, not helpful", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 419, "line_end": 420 }, { "explicit_text": "I worked with someone for many years and would say things like 'Did Slovakia, not Slovenia dumb ass.' In context of our relationship this was fine, but I realized other people around us went silent. They thought I'd call them dumb ass if they made a mistake.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott", "confidence": 0.8, "tags": [ "relationship dynamics", "context matters", "feedback", "unintended consequences", "leadership" ], "lesson": "Shows that even appropriate directness between two people can harm team dynamics if others misinterpret it. As a leader, you must consider how feedback in relationships is perceived by bystanders", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 434, "line_end": 437 }, { "explicit_text": "A black female CEO told me that as soon as she gives even gentle criticism, people call her an angry black woman. She's one of the most even-keeled people I know.", "inferred_identity": "Unnamed black female tech CEO", "confidence": 0.75, "tags": [ "racial bias", "gender bias", "feedback", "leadership", "discrimination" ], "lesson": "Reveals that the same feedback behavior is perceived differently based on race and gender. This inspired Kim to write Radical Respect, acknowledging the intersection of feedback with bias", "topic_id": "topic_14", "line_start": 485, "line_end": 486 }, { "explicit_text": "A stranger on Manhattan street told me about my dog: 'I can tell you love that dog. You're going to kill that dog if you don't teach her to sit.' Then he said 'It's not mean. It's clear.'", "inferred_identity": "Stranger, Manhattan", "confidence": 0.8, "tags": [ "feedback", "authenticity", "care", "directness", "origin story" ], "lesson": "This moment crystallized radical candor for Kim. The stranger showed care ('I can tell you love that dog') and then gave direct feedback. This became her core motto", "topic_id": "topic_18", "line_start": 593, "line_end": 594 }, { "explicit_text": "In 1990 I started a diamond cutting factory in Moscow for Lazare Kaplan, a New York diamond company. I had to hire diamond cutters away from Russian state factories. At a picnic with vodka, I realized they wanted a manager who would get them out of Russia if things went bad.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott, Lazare Kaplan, Moscow, 1990", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Moscow", "Russia", "1990", "management", "care", "leadership", "first job" ], "lesson": "Shows that caring about people is the foundation of management. Workers valued a manager who cared about their wellbeing over salary alone", "topic_id": "topic_19", "line_start": 599, "line_end": 605 }, { "explicit_text": "At Dropbox, Qualtrics, Twitter and other tech companies, I worked as a CO coach helping leaders with feedback and management.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott", "confidence": 0.95, "tags": [ "Dropbox", "Qualtrics", "Twitter", "coaching", "leadership", "feedback" ], "lesson": "Shows Kim's diverse experience across major tech companies coaching leadership", "topic_id": "topic_1", "line_start": 5, "line_end": 5 }, { "explicit_text": "I led AdSense, YouTube and DoubleClick teams at Google before moving into broader coaching and writing about feedback.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott, Google", "confidence": 0.95, "tags": [ "Google", "AdSense", "YouTube", "DoubleClick", "product leadership", "teams" ], "lesson": "Shows Kim's extensive experience leading major Google products before focusing on leadership and culture", "topic_id": "topic_2", "line_start": 5, "line_end": 5 }, { "explicit_text": "I worked with Christa Quarles when she was CEO of OpenTable. She adapted the feedback question to her authentic style: 'Tell me why I'm wrong,' which suited her better than my standard question.", "inferred_identity": "Christa Quarles, OpenTable CEO", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "OpenTable", "CEO", "feedback", "authenticity", "adaptation" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates that the specific wording of the feedback question should match a leader's personality and style, not be a script", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 242, "line_end": 243 }, { "explicit_text": "At breakfast, my daughter said to me 'Mom, I wish you weren't the Radical Candor lady.' I initially thought she wanted more of my time, but when I asked 'Who do you wish I were?' she said 'I wish you were the lady who minded her own business.'", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott's daughter", "confidence": 0.8, "tags": [ "family", "feedback", "humor", "parenting", "listening", "follow-up questions" ], "lesson": "Shows that asking follow-up questions to understand instead of assuming is important in all relationships, and that parenting teaches the same lessons as management", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 287, "line_end": 288 }, { "explicit_text": "Russ Laraway, my co-founder at Radical Candor and someone I worked with at Google, told me he hated my go-to question for soliciting feedback. He preferred I tell him what I'm working on and ask specifically what I noticed.", "inferred_identity": "Russ Laraway, Google", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Google", "Radical Candor", "co-founder", "feedback question", "adaptation" ], "lesson": "Shows that even the framework creator has to adapt her approach to different people's preferences", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 260, "line_end": 261 }, { "explicit_text": "Andy Grove, CEO of Intel, would say 'There's one more thing' at the end of one-on-ones to signal that the next topic was the most important. This was coded Intel language similar to Colombo the detective show.", "inferred_identity": "Andy Grove, Intel CEO", "confidence": 0.95, "tags": [ "Intel", "CEO", "one-on-ones", "feedback", "management technique" ], "lesson": "Shows how great leaders use consistent language patterns to signal the importance of difficult conversations", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 272, "line_end": 273 }, { "explicit_text": "My boss at Google told me that I tended to move too fast. She said 'Until people are giving you feedback that you're going too slow, you won't have corrected this problem.' This taught me to shoot to over-correct when getting feedback.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott's boss, Google", "confidence": 0.85, "tags": [ "Google", "feedback", "overcorrection", "pace", "iteration" ], "lesson": "Shows that when you get feedback on a problem, the instinct should be to over-correct, then calibrate based on continued feedback", "topic_id": "topic_9", "line_start": 293, "line_end": 294 }, { "explicit_text": "I was working at Apple and saw how Steve Jobs and Johnny Ive had deep relationships where they pushed each other hard but clearly cared deeply about each other.", "inferred_identity": "Steve Jobs, Johnny Ive, Apple", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Apple", "Steve Jobs", "Johnny Ive", "relationships", "design", "feedback" ], "lesson": "Shows that the best leaders build relationships where direct feedback is understood as care because of the underlying relationship", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 431, "line_end": 432 }, { "explicit_text": "In my analysis of Ray Dalio's book Principles, which is 300-400 pages, only 4-5 pages are about caring about people. There's very low care personally relative to challenge directly.", "inferred_identity": "Ray Dalio, Bridgewater", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Bridgewater", "Principles book", "Ray Dalio", "culture", "feedback" ], "lesson": "Demonstrates that even in books about leadership principles, some leaders prioritize only the challenge directly dimension and neglect care personally", "topic_id": "topic_12", "line_start": 425, "line_end": 426 }, { "explicit_text": "Jason Rosoff, my co-founder at Radical Candor, likes to ask 'What could I have done this week to better support you in your work?' He time-bounds the question and asks it after discussing what someone is working on.", "inferred_identity": "Jason Rosoff, Radical Candor co-founder", "confidence": 0.9, "tags": [ "Radical Candor", "co-founder", "feedback question", "support", "work" ], "lesson": "Shows variation in feedback solicitation questions and how time-bounding can make it more effective for some people", "topic_id": "topic_8", "line_start": 260, "line_end": 261 }, { "explicit_text": "I managed a pediatric clinic in Kosovo before starting the diamond factory in Moscow, learning that management and caring about people matter.", "inferred_identity": "Kim Scott, Kosovo", "confidence": 0.85, "tags": [ "Kosovo", "healthcare", "management", "pediatric", "care" ], "lesson": "Shows early career experience managing care for vulnerable populations influenced her philosophy about caring in management", "topic_id": "topic_19", "line_start": 5, "line_end": 5 } ] }