Talking Straight!

One thing that we should learn from our experiences, it’s that we need to stop assessing business leaders simply on the basis of how much wealth they create for investors. A better yardstick would be, the extent to which leaders create businesses that are economically, ethically, and socially sustainable. The first step toward fulfilling that task is to create a Culture of Candor.

What is Candor.

Simply put, it is the quality of being open, honest, truthful, and straightforward in one's speech or actions.

It refers to the ability to express oneself in a sincere and open manner, without withholding or distorting information or opinions. Candor is often associated with transparency, authenticity, and integrity, and is seen as an important quality in personal and professional relationships.?

Building Candor.

Using Candor effectively is a skill because it involves a set of abilities and behaviors that can be developed and practiced over time. It is a combination of self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication skills, and a willingness to be honest and direct.

Receiving & Giving Feedback using Candor.

This is mostly talked about and gets critical during the performance appraisal time. Managers and employees find going through feedback stressful and challenging. Many times, your experience with such feedbacks are not positive. Negative things dwells over your mind more than positive incidents. There's a research which says you need 5 positive incidents to balance out 1 negative incident. Therefore, it becomes imperative that you use Candor with utmost sensitivity while receiving and giving feedbacks.

Cultivating candor requires a delicate balance. Teams must carefully tread the line between “brutally honest” and “necessarily honest.” One is about putting people down while the other is about the free flow of information.

When feedback is tainted or sugar coated for the manager, delivered softly to a failing employee, the problem and potential solutions become opaque. Nobody knows what to do because nobody truly knows what is happening or may be worse where they think they know but have misleading information.

How does it impact.

Feedback given with candor can create wonders by improving performance, promoting growth and development, building trust, enhancing relationships, and increasing accountability. When feedback is delivered with honesty and respect, it can create a positive and productive work environment where individuals can thrive and succeed.

Feedbacks done using Candor can create high impact by building trust between the feedback giver & the receiver. It improves performance as it can identify areas where improvement is needed. feedback delivered constructively encourages growth & development. It enhances relationships between both the parties by promoting open communication, understanding & respect.

Skills to practice Candor

Candor requires a level of self-awareness, where individuals are able to recognize their own biases, emotions, and reactions. This can help them to communicate more effectively and avoid reacting defensively or emotionally.

Candor also involves emotional intelligence, which is the ability to recognize and understand the emotions of others. This can help individuals to communicate more empathetically and effectively, and to build stronger relationships with others.

Candor requires decent communication skills, including active listening, clear and concise speaking, and the ability to give and receive feedback effectively.

Practicing candor often requires courage, as it may involve speaking up about difficult or uncomfortable topics, or challenging the status quo.

Finally, practicing candor requires a level of respect and empathy for others, as it involves being honest and direct while also considering the feelings and perspectives of others.

Practicing Candor during feedback

Candor can be very helpful in giving and receiving performance feedback as it can lead to more open and honest communication, which can in turn lead to more effective feedback and growth.

When giving performance feedback, candor means being honest and direct about what went well and what needs improvement. It means focusing on specific examples and behaviors, and avoiding generalizations or personal attacks. Candor also means being willing to listen to the other person's perspective, acknowledging their strengths and accomplishments, and offering constructive suggestions for improvement.

When receiving performance feedback, candor means being open and receptive to feedback, even if it may be difficult or uncomfortable to hear. It means actively listening to the other person's perspective, asking clarifying questions, and seeking out specific examples of behaviors or actions that need improvement. Candor also means being willing to take responsibility for one's own performance and growth, and actively seeking out opportunities to learn and improve.

In both cases, candor requires a level of trust and respect between the giver and receiver of feedback. When both parties are committed to being open and honest, and are willing to listen and learn from each other, performance feedback can be a powerful tool for personal and professional growth.

By developing these skills and abilities, individuals can become more effective communicators, better able to give and receive feedback, and more trusted and respected by others. However, practicing Candor in Organisations parlance is just not easy, it demands a long-term commitment from the organization and its leaders. It may take time and effort, but the benefits of a candid and open workplace culture can be significant, including better communication, higher levels of trust, and improved overall performance.