TL;DR: Radical Candor

I read books so you don't have to

Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity by Kim Scott

Summary

Author Kim Scott, who had worked at Google and Apple, shares her management philosophy that emphasizes the importance of both caring personally and challenging directly when giving feedback to employees. By balancing empathy and honesty, leaders can create a supportive yet high-performing work environment.

Key Takeaway #1

If you care about your team but don't give them direct feedback, you are falling into the "Ruinous Empathy" trap. You'll never help your team improve or fix performance problems, and might have to fire an employee you care about.

Key Takeaway #2

If you are giving direct feedback, but don't care personally about your team, they'll become defensive to feedback and won't improve. The lack of a personal connection means you won't build real trust

Key Takeaway #3

The best bosses both care personally about their direct reports and also give them direct (and frequent) feedback on how to improve. Your team will feel both personally supported and professionally challenged, and you will actually help them grow

My two cents

The key concepts in this book really helpful, especially for new mangers or when coaching new managers. When I first read it as a new manager I recognized that the Ruinous Empathy trap was my own personal weakness.

You really only need to read the first 4-5 chapters however, and then it starts to veer off into topics that are better covered by other books.