Get real

This week, the 2 Minute Tip is exploring Kim Scott’s advice on being a great boss. Today, we’ll look in Radical Candor for what Scott has to say about “caring personally.”

The words “boss,” “supervisor,” and “manager,” may bring up images of “Dilbert-like soul crushers,” but to be an effective leader, you should see your humanity as an attribute, not a liability.

Part of the reason some bosses fail to “care personally” is the injunction to “keep it professional” – a phrase that denies something essential.

We are all human beings with human emotions and needs.

For Scott, this starts with finding the time to have real conversations, about getting to know your co-workers on a human level – to learn what’s important to them, to understand what makes them want to get out of bed in the morning.

If we don’t “care personally” it’s easy to slip into “manipulative insincerity” (politics, back-stabbing, etc.) and/or “obnoxious aggression” (arrogance, attacking, bullying, etc.).

Tomorrow, we’ll discuss the other trait of being a great boss, “challenging directly.”