{"id":122351,"date":"2024-01-28T16:32:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-28T20:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=122351"},"modified":"2024-01-31T16:46:11","modified_gmt":"2024-01-31T20:46:11","slug":"candor-care","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/candor-care\/","title":{"rendered":"The Candor\/Care Approach to Leadership (John C. Maxwell)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Do people pleasers make good leaders? How can you appropriately balance candor and care with those you lead?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A common misconception is that, to be a good leader<\/a>, you must please everyone and get them on board with your plans and ideas. John C. Maxwell says that you should focus on what makes people better, not what makes them happy. This means balancing candor and care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Continue reading to learn about this candor\/care approach to leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Candor vs. Care in Leadership<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell argues that effective leadership is about pushing people to reach their potential, which occasionally means making difficult decisions<\/a> that might not please everyone. This can be hard because we like hearing affirmation and knowing that everyone is happy with our decisions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

To guide others to become their best, you must balance candor<\/em> with care<\/em>. Maxwell writes that leaders tend to either be too caring or too candid. If you\u2019re too caring, you won\u2019t initiate difficult conversations to help people grow. If you\u2019re too candid, you\u2019ll fail to connect with others<\/a> because you\u2019ll seem unsympathetic. To balance the two, have a genuine interest in what\u2019s best for the other person. With this candor\/care approach, you can be supportive but also willing to challenge people to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: What does it mean to be both caring and candid? Kim Scott calls this approach radical candor<\/em>. In her book Radical Candor<\/em><\/a>, she explains that it has two components: caring <\/em>and challenging<\/em>. She defines caring<\/em> as seeing beyond people\u2019s roles as employees and caring about each as a person<\/a>. You do this by learning about their motivations and ambitions and taking an interest in their lives outside of work. Scott defines challenging<\/em> as having tough but important conversations<\/a> with your employees to help them reach their full potential. She explains that practicing radical candor helps you avoid problems, build trust, and give your employees opportunities to grow.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maxwell suggests several ways you can help others to be better through the candor\/care approach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Overcome personal discomfort. <\/strong>Many leaders shy away from making challenging decisions because it makes them uncomfortable. To prevent this, ask yourself three questions in the following order to help you prioritize organizational and team well-being over personal ease:<\/p>\n\n\n\n