Introducing "Food for Thought" #49. The formula is simple: three short messages once a week to feed your mind.
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Adopt benevolent sincerity
Kindness can be harmful if misused. For example, you're so concerned about someone else's feelings that you don't dare tell them the truth. This creates a major performance problem in our organizations, because we're in denial.
Well-used benevolence is more a matter of caring about the other person and saying things frankly. It should not be perceived as insensitive harshness, but rather as sincerity tinged with benevolence. This balance between benevolence and frankness creates an environment conducive to improvement, better collaboration and the ability to take on new challenges with full knowledge of the facts.
How can we lay the foundations for benevolent sincerity? The discussion continues at points 2 and 3.
Management
Cultivate confidence
We don't all start from the same level of comfort and experience with these conversations. If trust is lacking, what can you do? According to Kim Scott, it's crucial to get to work to start building it. Here are a few strategies to get you started:
- Getting to know yourselfbeyond our professional roles. It's about creating deeper, personal connections (their dreams and life stories) with team members;
- Understanding individual motivations and interests. This means taking a sincere interest in the aspirations and passions of team members, to better understand what drives them;
- Enabling people to use their strengths on a daily basis. Encouraging everyone to showcase their talents not only boosts self-confidence, but also confidence within the team.
Leadership
Lead by example
When was the last time you asked for feedback on your own performance? Showing that you're open to improvement will only reinforce the concept of benevolent sincerity towards you.
For more in-depth analysis, we recommend Kim Scott's book, Radical Candor: be a super manager without losing any of your humanity.
