Radical Candor at Prodigy

Here at Prodigy, as we grow, we stay rooted in our core values that maintain and strengthen our culture; guiding what we do, why we create, and who we hire. One of our core values at Prodigy Education is Radical Candor.

What is Radical Candor?

Radical Candor is a style of communication that advocates for caring personally and challenging directly at the same time. Kim Scott, the author of Radical Candor, describes the four quadrants of communication that are most prevalent in workplaces: 

• Obnoxious Aggression
• Manipulative Insincerity
• Ruinous Empathy
• Radical Candor. 

I won’t do a summary, but I highly recommend you watch the video below and learn more about her book here. It provides a lot of perspective and examples to highlight why Radical Candor is the only option for successful collaboration. 

Radical Candor at Prodigy

What always comes to mind when I think about Radical Candor at Prodigy is feedback. Throughout my career, there have been different dynamics at play when it comes to providing feedback. Radical candor is an amazing opportunity to challenge directly but shows that you care personally at the same time. Not only can you benefit from providing feedback, but so can those around you. 

At Prodigy,  when it comes to decision-making, direction and even role expectations, the expectation is that you communicate your perspective. If you disagree, why do you disagree? Your feedback starts a conversation that can either change an earlier decision or at least ensure that everyone understands why we need to do something that isn't ideal for everyone. Even when things aren't perfect, it really creates a team that is bought in. 

When it comes to team decisions, direction and even role expectations, the expectation is that you communicate your perspective. If you disagree, why do you disagree? Your feedback kicks off a conversation that can either change an earlier decision or at least make sure everyone understands why we need to do something that isn’t ideal for all parties. It really creates a team that is bought in, even when things aren’t perfect. 

Your relationship with your manager is crucial when considering your career. Prodigy has a lot of structure, especially around feedback. There is a formal check-in with your manager every month, during which they are expected to provide you with clear, actionable feedback. If you’ve been doing something well, what was it? How did that positively impact Prodigy? How can you demonstrate more of that behaviour? Instead of just saying “Great job!” — which might be nice to hear, but doesn’t actually help — you can work together to maximize the work you’re doing.

On the flip side, you’re also expected to provide feedback to your manager. What could they be doing that could help you, the team, the department, or the company? Maybe there is something specific they need to stop doing so you can be more effective. Examples of constructive feedback that I’ve been able to give to my manager in the past include:

• We need to do more to recognize our team throughout the organization, as the work we do often isn’t seen outside of our team.
  My manager agreed and worked to incorporate more about our team and the positive work we had accomplished throughout each quarter,  during company-wide meetings and large department meetings.
• We need a larger team to be able to hit the goals that have trickled down to us. 
  As a team, we went through the budget and realized we hadn’t worked with Finance early enough to get an additional headcount. We were, however, able to spread out the workload and drop some ad-hoc projects that weren’t urgent in the short term.

Radical Candor can sometimes be confused with basically saying whatever one feels like saying. In reality, that isn't the case, and it's really important to remember that being radically candid means that you care personally and challenge directly. We have been able to create a culture where providing feedback is a safe and highly valuable practice because of how Prodigy has approached communication from the beginning. 

What Radical Candor means to us

Ultimately, it allows people to be themselves at work. The focus is on what we’re trying to accomplish, not  “Should I say something?” Radical candor allows us to drive results collaboratively, help team members reach their full potential and be really clear about what is and isn’t working. Instead of internal politicking, at Prodigy, we get to talk about what matters — and we get to do it with Radical Candor.

Want a chance to practice Radical Candor in your workplace? Check out our open positions to find a role that's right for you.