87 “Having never criticized Bob for 10 months because I was trying to spare his feelings, I was now sitting in front of Bob firing him. Not so nice after all. When I told him, Bob pushed his chair back, looked at me, and said, ‘Why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t anyone tell me?’” From the ashes of this management failure, Radical Candor was born. Are you living up to your moral obliga- tion to grow your people using radical candor? Do your people know what they are doing right- and wrong? Here are 8 ways to increase performance with successful guidance – and radical candor: 1. Set clear expectations so each in- dividual knows exactly what suc- cess looks like. 2. Hold people accountable to those expectations. As long as their goals are set well, this grows them as much as it grows the company. 3. Pay attention while they perform so you don’t miss an opportunity to notice their behavior. (You won’t be able to do this from your office.) 4. Share your detailed observations with them right away while it’s still fresh in your mind and theirs. 5. Don’t wait for them to achieve success before giving them feedback. Point out what they are doing right and wrong along the way so they can course correct and better reach their goals. 6. Prepare in advance before providing feedback. Consider the right place to have this conversa- tion, recall as many specifics as you can so they can have the full picture, and jot down a few talking points so you don’t miss a thing. 7. After using Radical Candor with an individual, immediately give them an opportunity to be successful and earn the more positive reaction they really want. 8. Always, always, always be consistent. I know you are busy and you have lots of stress and responsibilities on your shoulders. There is proba- bly not an unused minute in your day! But you have to make time for this. When you do, you will find that guiding your people and providing consistent feedback will grow them and in turn, grow your business. It’s not fluff. It’s real — and your time will pay off! Beth Sunshine Partner, VP Talent Services The Center for Sales Strategy