Candor is Kindness in Action

The most caring leaders are brave enough to tell the truth with respect and clarity.

Avoiding hard conversations can feel compassionate in the moment, but over time it often creates confusion, resentment, and missed growth. As Kim Scott writes in Radical Candor, “Radical Candor is what happens when you care personally and challenge directly.” At Little Birdie, we believe this balance is one of the most respectful, and necessary, leadership behaviors.

Candor sets clear expectations and gives people the information they need to grow. When leaders choose honesty delivered with care, they signal trust. They’re saying, I believe in you enough to tell you the truth. That belief is far more empowering than silence or avoidance, even when the conversation is uncomfortable.

Scott warns against what she calls “ruinous empathy”, the instinct to spare feelings at the expense of clarity. While well-intentioned, it often leaves people guessing where they stand. Care without accountability may feel kind, but it rarely helps people get better.

At Little Birdie, we see care and accountability not as opposites, but as partners. When leaders care personally andchallenge directly, teams experience clarity, trust, and forward momentum. Candor, practiced well, isn’t harsh - it’s generous. And it’s one of the clearest expressions of leadership done with heart.