Build People Up

Yesterday I was chatting with my friend and colleague Ewan Wolff about the various PrideVMC activities they are leading this June. During the conversation, they reminded me how easy it is to tear people down and how much harder it is to build people up. And yet, the latter is so incredibly important and mutually cup-filling!  

This post serves as a friendly reminder to all of us that there is no better time than the present to build people up. This does not mean avoiding tough conversations. 

Tough conversations and sincere, well-meaning, radically candid feedback provides opportunities for growth. Enter – Kim Scott! As you may know, I am a radical candor enthusiast. Radical candor in a nutshell is communicating directly while caring personally. You don’t have to love, or even like, the person you are speaking with. You simply treat them with respect as a fellow human being. We can toggle up and down the caring, as well as how direct we are, based on the situation.

If there is a fire in your workplace, you will toggle up being direct to get folks out of the building safely and quickly.

If you are giving feedback to a team member who needs improvement, you can toggle up the caring while clearly explaining the situation.

Being radically candid is being part of the solution. And speaking of being part of the solution, please consider participating in a Hands Off rally in your area this Saturday, April 5!

Picture of Louie, the Office cat. We both wish you a safe and cup-filling day.