Radical Candor
If we put aside the relentless name-dropping, Scott has crafted a must-read text for anyone in management, leadership or even those just wishing to improve their company culture. There are countless points made throughout the book (I'd recommend reading in stages and digesting), hence some may be more applicable than others. It is filled with practical advice and examples on leading teams through numerous situations.
Coming to terms with the fact that functional teams cannot rely on 'super-stars' and instead also require a healthy mix of mere 'rockstars' to provide the foundational support was a seemingly obvious, yet dramatically eye-opening realisation for me. Scott stresses the need to understand each and every member of your team, their goals and aspirations and appreciate how these are highly fluid, never set in stone, but rather change as circumstances change. Just because a team member is content in their current position does not make them any less imperative in comparison to a comparatively the high-flying, ambitious machine working his or her way up the ranks. In fact, that ambitious machine is likely to be out of your team and onto their next project before you realise it.
One of the primary notions of this text is the emphasis on the importance of feedback - not only to your low performers but your high performers, yourself and your superiors. Scott attempts to teach how to create a culture that embraces feedback to build cohesive teams, yet she does so in a practical, pragmatic manner with specific examples and guidelines. There is a large emphasis placed on the matrix below, outlining the best methods to communicate amongst a team and attempt to provide feedback.
Scott provides some great examples of the framework being put into use - one analogy is about a guy who loves his dog so much that when he needs to amputate its tail, he proceeds to cut and inch off every day. (An all too real metaphor for some team leaders). However, implementation of radical candor candour (I'm Australian) and its processes requires a change of understanding across your entire team. This is not a book that will teach you to become an overnight super boss, but rather a book you should buy for everyone in your team, discuss together and attempt to become a more cohesive unit.
It's worth noting that Scott also provides a great discussion on how best to let people go - a hidden gem great for all managers starting out.
While undoubtedly a flawed text (could be written better, some sections feel overly padded) it is one that I would whole heartedly recommend anyone in management read - and a must-read for newer managers learning the ropes.
