{"id":14846,"date":"2020-09-12T09:21:06","date_gmt":"2020-09-12T13:21:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=14846"},"modified":"2020-09-25T19:36:22","modified_gmt":"2020-09-25T23:36:22","slug":"radical-truth","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/radical-truth\/","title":{"rendered":"Radical Truth: What Employees Need to Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is radical truth? How does it work, and why do you need it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radical truth is a concept that means you don’t put a filter on your thoughts and opinions in the workplace. Radical truth means that everyone should be honest to make sure the company doesn’t suffer. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s how radical truth works.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Radical Truth<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Radical truth means not putting a filter on your thoughts.<\/strong> You reveal your thoughts and questions relentlessly. You surface issues immediately instead of hiding them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the entire organization does this, it creates opportunities to have thoughtful disagreement<\/a> and see things through each other\u2019s eyes. It surfaces disagreements when they first appear, rather than letting them fester under the surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In contrast, at many workplaces, people tend to hide their real thoughts, and they bury problems and disagreements. This aggravates misunderstandings or disagreements, and it leads to larger conflicts and distance between team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At Bridgewater, everyone has not only the privilege but also the <\/strong>obligation <\/em><\/strong>to speak up publicly<\/strong>. For example, an employee sent Ray an email that read, \u201cyou deserve a D- for your performance in the meeting…it was obvious that you did not prepare at all.\u201d In how many companies is it encouraged to send the founder\/CEO an email like this?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People at Bridgewater are obligated to say what they say to people\u2019s faces, instead of talking behind their backs. Gossip shows a lack of integrity and is considered the worst thing possible at Bridgewater. People who do this are called \u201cslimy weasels.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Short-Term Painful, Long-Term Helpful<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

As discussed in the decision-making<\/a> chapter, some good things in life cause short-term pain but long-term gains. This applies to radical truth.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Often the cost to radical truth is open criticism and the discomfort that follows. But this should be seen as a sign of tough love. It\u2019s a sign of caring and respect to tell people what they need to improve.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dalio expects that when he does something dumb, other people should tell him so immediately and to his face. To do otherwise would be unproductive and unethical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In essence, radical truth is an organizational reflection of the idea, \u201cPain + Reflection = Progress.\u201d People who can internalize this on an individual level can operate similarly on the organizational level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re clear about why you\u2019re being radically truthful, there won\u2019t be any misunderstandings about your intent. People will understand why you\u2019re being tough<\/a> on them\u2014because your purpose<\/a> is to arrive at the truth, not to prove that any one person is right or wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radical truth creates a powerful freedom of thought. When you align what you feel and what you say, life gets simpler. You can focus on the most important things, and you\u2019ll be happier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mistakes are OK<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

In many organizations, hiding mistakes is standard, and people feel they\u2019ll be punished for mistakes. This has the counterproductive effect of hiding the organization\u2019s weak points and lowers performance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In reality, mistakes are key opportunities for learning<\/strong>. They inevitably cause pain, but that pain is the signal to reflect and diagnose the mistake. You should create a culture that has this mindset as a core value. Ideally, everyone embodies the Life Principles described in the previous part of this summary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the organization, it should be OK to make mistakes, admit them, and learn from them. It should never be OK to hide mistakes or to avoid learning from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dishonesty Will Happen<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

People will continue to lie, and there will be dishonest people no matter what you try to do. Don\u2019t be naive about this. When they\u2019re caught, they\u2019ll say they\u2019ll never do it again, but they most likely will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yet Dalio doesn\u2019t see it as an absolute rule, since firing everyone who has ever lied would mean he\u2019d have no one to work with. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Instead, treat each case of dishonesty independently, and decide it based on the severity of the transgression and the prior history. Get rid of habitual liars. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then deter future bad behavior with \u201cpublic hangings\u201d where violators are made examples of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Adjustment Time is Needed<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Radical truth and transparency are so different from how most places operate that most people need an adjustment period. Bridgewater finds that new employees can take 18 months to adjust fully, and many people never adjust at all and leave.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Radical truth and transparency also need to be managed to avoid excesses. With access to all this information, people can get involved in more things than they should. Likewise, people who can\u2019t weigh information responsibly may draw the wrong conclusions from all the data they see.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is radical truth? How does it work, and why do you need it? Radical truth is a concept that means you don’t put a filter on your thoughts and opinions in the workplace. Radical truth means that everyone should be honest to make sure the company doesn’t suffer. Here’s how radical truth works.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":14863,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,34,30],"tags":[129],"class_list":["post-14846","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career","category-communication","category-work","tag-principles-life-and-work","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nRadical Truth: What Employees Need to Know - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"What is radical truth? 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