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Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Written by: Kim Scott Jason Rosoff & Amy Sandler
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 Ready to love your job, crush your career goals, and become the kind of leader everyone actually wants to work with? Welcome to the Radical Candor podcast, where you'll learn how to kick ass at work without losing your humanity. Host Amy Sandler and Radical Candor co-founders Kim Scott and Jason Rosoff to break down how you can Care Personally and Challenge Directly — the deceptively simple but powerful formula for building stronger teams, giving (and getting) better feedback, and leading with heart and clarity. Each episode is packed with real talk, relatable stories, and actionable tips to help you do the best work of your life while building the best relationships of your career. Whether you’re a manager, a team player, or dreaming bigger for your future, this is the podcast that will change how you show up at work — and in life. P.S. Don’t forget to check out Kim Scott’s New York Times and Wall Street Journal bestseller, Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity! Want even more Radical Candor? Join the Radical Candor Community — free forever.Copyright Radical Candor 2025 Careers Economics Personal Success Relationships Social Sciences
Episodes
  • Rethinking Authenticity and What to Do Instead with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic 8|5

    Rethinking Authenticity and What to Do Instead with Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic 8|5
    Mar 11 2026
    “Be yourself.” “Bring your whole self to work.” “Don’t worry what people think.” These phrases sound empowering—but in real workplaces, they can create confusion, conflict, and even harm. In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler sit down with organizational psychologist Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic—Chief Science Officer at Russell Reynolds Associates, professor of business psychology at University College London and Columbia University, and author of Don’t Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead. They start with a moment of actual Radical Candor: Kim reached out after Tomas and Amy Edmondson accidentally conflated Radical Candor with “brutal honesty.” Instead of stewing, she did the hard (and human) thing—she talked to him. That conversation sets the tone for a bigger question: What does it really mean to be “authentic” at work? Tomas breaks down four “authenticity traps” that sound like wisdom but often backfire: Always be honest with yourself and others Don’t worry what people think of you Always stay true to your values, no matter what Bring your whole self to work Together, they explore what replaces these traps: self-complexity, emotional intelligence, feedback you can absorb without defensiveness, and the discipline to regulate your impulses so you can build trust and safety—without turning the workplace into either chaos or conformity. If you’ve ever felt stuck between being “real” and being effective, this episode offers a more useful frame: your right to be you should never override your obligation to others. ⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Bluesky Resources: Fast Company: To create psychological safety, don't bring your whole self to work TEDx Talk: Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? Next Big Idea Club: The Surprising Science of Why Being Authentic Can Hold You Back HBR Podcast: Why Are We Still Promoting Incompetent Men? Why Do So Many Incompetent Men Become Leaders? (And How To Fix It) [book] Don't Be Yourself: Why Authenticity Is Overrated and What to Do Instead [book] I, Human: AI, Automation, and the Quest to Reclaim What Makes Us Unique [book] Dr. Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic [website] Mentioned on the podcast: Infantilised: How Our Culture Killed Adulthood [book] Seinfeld episode: Life Hack “Do the opposite” [YouTube short] The Best Leaders are Great Followers HBR article by Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and Amy C. Edmondson Chapters: (00:00) IntroductionKim and Amy welcome Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic and reflect on how this conversation began with Radical Candor. (03:10) Radical Candor vs. “Brutal Honesty”How a misinterpretation sparked a real conversation about kindness, nuance, and impact. (07:20) Why “Don’t Be Yourself”The meaning behind the provocative title and why authenticity advice often backfires at work. (14:10) The Four Authenticity TrapsAlways be honest, don’t care what people think, never compromise your values, and bring your whole self to work. (19:30) Confidence, Competence, and FeedbackWhy developing skill comes first—and how confidence is often about timing and delivery. (27:30) Staying True to Values Without Becoming DogmaticWhy uncompromising values can divide teams and what leadership actually requires. (30:10) Authenticity as PrivilegeWhy complete self-expression is often a luxury of the powerful, not a universal standard. (36:15) Psychological Safety Isn’t ComfortWhy safety should enable productive discomfort, not chaos or bullying. (41:55) Emotional Intelligence vs. Unfiltered AuthenticityWhy adapting to others is a strength, not a lack of integrity. (49:10) Regulating Impulses as a LeaderHow filtering behavior builds trust without sacrificing humanity. (01:03:50) Conclusion Connect:Resources for show notes: Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 5 mins
  • Why We Don’t Do What We Know We Should: Beliefs, Habits, and AI Practice with Nir Eyal 8|4

    Why We Don’t Do What We Know We Should: Beliefs, Habits, and AI Practice with Nir Eyal 8|4
    Mar 4 2026
    What if the reason you don’t give feedback, follow through, or change your habits… isn’t willpower? What if it’s a belief? In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott talks with Nir Eyal — author of Hooked, Indistractable, and his new book Beyond Belief — about the hidden force behind motivation: the stories we tell ourselves. They explore: Why AI can’t replace human relationships — but can help us practice hard conversations The limiting belief that keeps people silent at work Why knowing what to do isn’t enough How pain (not pleasure) drives behavior The difference between addiction and habit Why “time management is pain management.” How to reinterpret anxiety as readiness And why beliefs are tools — not truths If you’ve ever struggled to speak up, follow through, or break a bad habit — this conversation will help you see what’s really getting in the way.Chapters (00:00) Introduction Kim welcomes Nir Eyal and introduces AI portraits and scaling human insight. (04:30) Can AI Replace Relationships? Why AI can’t replace human connection — but may be the safest place to practice hard conversations. (10:15) Refining AI Voice & Identity What it means to “scale yourself” without losing your humanity. (16:40) The Limiting Belief That Keeps You Silent “If you don’t have anything nice to say…” — and why that belief causes harm. (23:10) Beliefs Are Tools, Not Truths Nir explains the core thesis of Beyond Belief. (29:30) Placebos, Pain, and Perception What belief can change — and what it can’t. (36:20) Stage Fright vs. Readiness Reinterpreting anxiety as oxygen for performance. (43:10) Time Management Is Pain Management Why distraction is about escaping discomfort. (50:40) Addiction vs. Habit Why addiction is about escaping pain — not seeking pleasure. (57:00) Why We Don’t Do What We Know The missing link between knowledge and action. (01:04:00) Radical Candor and the “Nice” Trap The story of Bob — and why staying silent isn’t kind. (01:10:00) If It’s Yellow, Let It Mellow Marriage, feedback, and choosing what truly matters. (01:13:00) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    50 mins
  • AI Gods, Space Empires, and the Stories Tech Uses to Justify Power with Adam Becker 8|3

    AI Gods, Space Empires, and the Stories Tech Uses to Justify Power with Adam Becker 8|3
    Feb 18 2026
    What if the loudest stories about the future—AI gods, Mars colonies, digital immortality—aren’t science at all, but science fiction masquerading as inevitability? In this episode of The Radical Candor Podcast, Kim Scott and Amy Sandler are joined by science journalist and astrophysicist Adam Becker (PhD in computational cosmology), author of More Everything Forever. Adam breaks down the “big three” myths that dominate Silicon Valley’s imagination: space colonization, superintelligent god-like AI, and the singularity. He explains why both the utopian and apocalyptic versions of AI stories often share the same assumption—unimaginable AI power—and why that assumption doesn’t match reality. They also explore the deeper pattern underneath these myths: the belief that every problem can be solved with technology (usually computer technology), even when the barriers are political and social—collective action, persuasion, solidarity, and power. Along the way, Adam shares how he stayed sane while writing about “seriously disturbing ideas,” and why reconnecting with the natural world (and real human relationships) is a necessary antidote to screen-mediated life. If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by the “AI will save us” vs. “AI will doom us” debate, this conversation offers a clearer, more grounded frame—and a reminder that being human matters. ⁠⁠⁠⁠Website⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Bluesky⁠⁠⁠ Resources for show notes: ⁠Adam Becker’s website⁠ ⁠More, Everything, Forever book page⁠ ⁠Adam Becker on Star Talk podcast⁠ ⁠Dave Troy presents: Understanding TESCREAL with Dr. Timnit Gebru and Émile Torres⁠ ⁠Why Silicon Valley’s Most Powerful People Are So Obsessed With Hobbits⁠ Referenced in conversation: Blade Runner (as an example of dystopian sci-fi being misunderstood) Star Wars / Jabba the Hutt (as an example of misreading stories) Lord of the Rings / Palantír (as a cautionary reference) Jurassic Park (“they didn’t stop to consider whether they should”) Public libraries (as a civic good worth supporting) Chapters: (00:00) Introduction Kim and Amy welcome Adam Becker to unpack Silicon Valley’s stories about the future. (06:06) The Myths Driving Tech Ideology Space colonization, superintelligent AI, and the singularity—and why they don’t hold up. (11:52) When Sci-Fi Turns into Strategy How dystopian stories get misread as roadmaps (Palantir, “Torment Nexus,” and more). (15:06) More Everything Forever Why endless expansion feels inevitable in tech—and why Adam argues it’s flawed. (21:24) “Can” vs. “Should” Why tech leaders dodge both questions—and what that reveals about power. (23:19) You Can’t Escape Politics by Going to Space Why “Mars as a reset button” is a fantasy—and politics follows humans everywhere. (33:22) AI Doom vs. AI Utopia Why both narratives rely on the same shaky assumption about “AGI.” (37:21) Solidarity as a Counterbalance Why labor organizing matters when leadership values diverge from workers’ values. (41:02) “AGI Will Fix Climate” Why betting on future AI while burning more energy now is a dangerous logic trap. (01:03:50) Conclusion Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    1 hr and 7 mins
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