Transparent language can be great.
And it is completely necessary with underperforming employees, family, friends, and
In truth, transparency and honesty
I tend to just say what I think in a dry and blunt way.
This is, however, not always so wonderful. For honesty should come in both the proper composition and tone.
Because you can be honest, but you can also come across as a jerk.
I don’t have a linked post to point to yet on this, but this reminded me of a passage from Anne Lamott in her classic book Bird By Bird: “You don’t always have to chop with the sword of truth. You can point with it, too.”
Kim Scott, in her book Radical
Candor , frames this concept in terms of a matrix: She outlines one of the most important things to remember when it comes to transparency: you need to balance it with empathy. If I tell you I hate your haircut, I’m being transparent. I’m also being an asshole.
-Rand Fishkin, Lost And Founder
