Why I’m Selling Candor (And You Should Buy In)
I’ve come to recognize a pattern in my career—whether in candidate interviews, sales debriefs, or employee discussions—people often give me the best version of the truth.
If you’ve been in leadership long enough, you’ve seen this happen. A salesperson explains a lost deal in a way that softens their role in it. A candidate with short job tenures has a string of reasons why none were their fault. A team member presents a customer cancellation as something beyond their control. And yet, after hundreds of these conversations, you learn to sense the gap between what’s being said and what’s actually true.
I can’t fix what I don’t know. Anything that shortens my path to probable truths is invaluable. This is why I believe candor is one of the most powerful and undervalued leadership traits.
Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.
Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.
Why Candor Matters at Every Level
1. Leaders & Boards: Candor Eliminates Decision-Making Blind Spots
As you rise in an organization, the more you get lied to. Not maliciously, but through filtered truths. People naturally want to present the best case scenario, which means executives and boards often operate on carefully curated information.
This creates dangerous blind spots.
CEOs and investors don’t have the luxury of making decisions based on spin. They need candid assessments of what’s working and what isn’t—without the sugarcoating. Leaders who build a culture of candor make better decisions because they operate with a clear and unvarnished understanding of reality.
Netflix’s leadership, for example, is built on radical candor. Employees are encouraged to speak openly—even to top executives—because transparency leads to better business decisions.
For CEOs and private equity investors, executives who operate with candor stand out. They are easier to trust, easier to work with, and are less likely to let hidden problems fester.
2. Sales: Why Candor is a 2025 Sales Superpower
Sales has evolved. Customers are more informed than ever, and they can immediately detect when a salesperson is bluffing or reading a script. Without candor, a sales professional loses credibility fast.
Customers buy from people they trust. Candor builds trust quickly.
Complex sales require honesty. When selling software or sophisticated solutions, you can’t fake expertise. If a salesperson lacks understanding and isn’t candid about it, the buyer will sense it.
Authenticity wins. Buyers don’t need to understand every technical detail; they just need to believe that you do.
Take something as simple as buying a TV. I don’t need to know what all the buzzwords—pixels, liquid crystal, OLED—mean. But I do need to feel that the salesperson genuinely understands them and isn’t just throwing jargon at me. Candor is what makes me buy.
For sales leaders, this means training your teams to embrace honest, direct communication. If a product has weaknesses, acknowledge them and position the strengths. If they don’t know the answer to a technical question, don’t fake it—go find out. Buyers respect that.
3. Management: Candor Separates Real Leaders from Managers
Managers who lack candor create cultures where employees tell them what they want to hear instead of what they need to hear. This leads to problems snowballing because no one is addressing the real issues.
A great manager:
Encourages employees to own their mistakes rather than spin them.
Gives honest feedback that helps employees grow rather than making them comfortable.
Makes tough calls with transparency, rather than hiding behind corporate language.
Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, built an entire company culture around radical transparency. Employees at every level are encouraged to engage in open, direct debates—even with leadership—because a company that embraces the truth outperforms one that avoids it.
If you’re in management, ask yourself: Do my people tell me what they really think? Or do they tell me what they think I want to hear?
4. Candor in Hiring: How It Saves Time, Money, and Morale
Hiring is one of the biggest investments a company makes. Recruiting costs, ramp-up time, and lost productivity from bad hires all add up.
One of my biggest frustrations? Candidates who aren’t candid.
When someone has a resume with multiple short stints at companies, there’s always an explanation. Often, it’s a version of the truth that shifts blame elsewhere.
Here’s the reality: Hiring managers don’t expect perfection. They expect honesty.
The best candidates are the ones who say, “Here’s what happened, here’s what I learned, and here’s what I’ll do differently.” When I hear that, I pay attention. When I hear deflections, I move on.
For leaders making hiring decisions, candor should be a non-negotiable trait. If a candidate can’t be candid in an interview—when they should be at their most self-aware—it’s a red flag for how they’ll communicate inside the company.
5. Candor in Life: Why It Makes You Happier
Candor isn’t just a business tool. It’s a personal superpower.
It reduces misunderstandings. Honest communication prevents resentment from unspoken expectations.
It strengthens relationships. Friendships, partnerships, and marriages thrive on trust, which is built through candor.
It makes you more confident. People who communicate openly have less stress than those who suppress emotions.
Candor doesn’t mean being blunt or harsh. It means being clear, direct, and honest—without spin. The more candid you are with others—and yourself—the better decisions you’ll make and the stronger your relationships will be.
Final Thoughts: How to Use Candor to Your Advantage
As a leader: Cultivate an environment where people feel safe giving you the unfiltered truth.
As a salesperson: Ditch the scripts. Know your product inside and out, and speak with authenticity.
As a manager: Give and receive feedback candidly. Encourage direct, open communication.
As a hiring decision-maker: Value candidates who demonstrate self-awareness and candor.
As an individual: Be honest with yourself and others. It will improve your relationships and overall happiness.
Candor isn’t always easy. It’s not always comfortable. But it is always valuable.
And in 2025 and beyond, it will be one of the most important leadership traits that separates the great from the average.
What do you think? Have you experienced the power of candor in your career? Drop a comment—I’d love to hear your thoughts.