How radical candor shows up in our work
Sid and Euella from the Rising team at the Community induction week in Sept ‘23
RADICAL CANDOUR DESPERATELY NEEDS TO BE AT THE HEART OF OUR ACTIVISM
We’ve been thinking a lot recently about radical candour. This concept has been made popular by the book by coach, writer and thinker, Kim Scott. However, this concept is not new to us, especially in our line of work.
Radical candour is about caring personally and challenging directly. It’s a vote for a better culture and a genuine commitment to meaningful improvement. Radical candour encourages open communication through honest feedback for personal and professional growth and despite it being a concept popularised by capitalism and the workplace, radical candour desperately needs to be at the heart of our activism.
As a society we can find it difficult to challenge our peers directly through fear of seeming combative or disruptive. This, alongside being from lived-experience identities that are commonly labelled ‘other’ at best, and ‘aggressive’ at worst can make it seem like we are ‘troublemakers’, or uncaring. There’s often a misconception that challenge does not equate to care, when we would argue the opposite; you challenge because you care.
you challenge because you care
Care and challenge lies at the heart of our work; in our provocations, our consultancy, our training, our offer, our community - it’s the thread that ties us together. It’s what enables us to feel emboldened to speak truth to power.
Radical candour isn’t just about challenge though, it’s also about empathetic honesty. As leaders (from underrepresented backgrounds), we can feel pressure to not be wholly honest with our teams about the challenges we’re facing through fear of seeming weak or chipping away at the veneer of infallibility. If we’re being honest, moving through the sector right now feels particularly hard and being open about that is how we’ll build a new sector that actually feels good, generative and life-affirming for us all.
Since we were founded, we’ve been creating a culture in our team, board and community where we can speak our minds while still caring about each other. Picture a place where feedback isn't scary, but gets to the root of the matter and gives voice to the things that often go unsaid. Power imbalances, cycles of oppression, emotional labour etc. are all given power when not addressed, so speaking about them and how they play out in the spaces you occupy is a radical act.
power imbalances, cycles of oppression, emotional labour are all given power when not addressed…
We wouldn’t be being truthful if we said having radical candour is always easy, it’s not - particularly when you’re not operating from a position of power, or when being honest threatens your (or your community’s) security, so with radical candour, there needs to be trust and safety. We all have a responsibility to be able to create spaces where people can be honest, where feedback is given space and people feel empowered to have difficult conversations that feel reparative instead of ‘risky’.
At Rising there have been soo many times where honesty has felt difficult for us at work or when we’ve been part of processes or partnerships that have felt sh*t. We’re at a point in Rising’s life where we’re gaining access to spaces, boards and circles where it appears like we have more lose by calling stuff out but this is when radical candour is most needed.
We have, and always will, continue to pour time into holding peer coaching and reflection sessions in our team, partners and community where we can build our radical candour muscles. For example, we run annual training sessions with our OnBoard cohorts about ‘Having Difficult Conversations’ as young board trustees, we’ve delivered ‘conflict resolution training’ to our BE IT Transforming Leadership cohorts, we have honest debrief sessions with all our partners after each project ends, we deliver ‘Caring Work Cultures’ and ‘Taking Risks in Moments of Uncertainty’ training for the individual practitioners and organisations and the list goes on. Some might ask why an ‘arts agency’ for young people makes it their business to do these things; the simple answer is because we care.
We know it takes conviction to know when to speak up and when to step back and listen - especially when it's uncomfortable. It’s not easy by any means, but that’s where the change happens – in those difficult, messy and sometimes trying moments. We truly believe a new way of being is possible and it needs to happen now. We can’t really afford to settle for less in our culture at work or any other aspect of our lives. At Rising, Whether it’s in our team, our community meet-ups, or the spaces we facilitate for others, radical candour isn't a nice-to-have – it's a necessity. By embracing radical candour and resourcing it with time for reflection, we give ourselves permission to be real, it invites vulnerability but more importantly, it also creates space for joy.
We’ll be running our next round of training on Caring Work Cultures in June, where we’ll be delving into radical candour in practice. Go here to find out how you can sign up
