What does it actually mean to care about someone at work?
In this encore episode, Alisa Cohn sits down with Kim Scott, former Apple and Google executive and bestselling author of Radical Candor and Radical Respect, to explore the real cost of silence, bias, and avoidance inside teams.
This episode is not theoretical. It is deeply practical. From how to solicit feedback effectively, to how to “disrupt bias without disrupting the meeting,” to how to move through shame and defensiveness, Kim offers a roadmap for leaders who want high standards without losing humanity.
If you care about building strong teams, giving better feedback, or creating a culture where people can actually do their best work, this conversation will challenge you in the best way.
You’ll learn:
- Why Radical Candor works and how leaders often misapply it
- The hidden damage caused by ruinous empathy
- Why silence at work is more costly than discomfort
- How to solicit feedback without triggering defensiveness
- The difference between bias, prejudice, and bullying
- How to “disrupt bias without disrupting the meeting”
- How leaders can build psychological safety through vulnerability
- Why upstanders matter and how to be one
We talk about:
- 00:00 The painful story behind Radical Candor and why silence cost more than honesty
- 03:00 The Radical Candor framework explained: care personally + challenge directly
- 08:00 Ruinous empathy and the real consequences of avoiding feedback
- 12:00 Why soliciting feedback is the first leadership move
- 18:00 How to ask for feedback without getting fake reassurance
- 24:00 From Radical Candor to Radical Respect: what prompted the new book
- 28:00 The two definitions of respect and why they matter
- 31:00 Bias, prejudice, and bullying, simple definitions leaders can use
- 35:00 How to disrupt bias without disrupting the meeting
- 44:00 Managing shame and defensiveness when your bias is flagged
- 51:00 The cost of silence and the power of being an upstander
- 57:00 Why discomfort is the price of real collaboration
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