From Bottlenecks to Buy-In: Overcoming Bureaucracy 7 | 16

Radical Candor: Communication at Work

Radical Candor

Business, Management, Careers

4.7 • 729 Ratings

🗓️ 16 April 2025

⏱️ 48 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Cut through workplace red tape—without burning bridges.

Ever feel like getting anything done at work means running a marathon through molasses? You’re not alone. In this episode, Amy and Jason go full throttle on the soul-sucking systems that slow teams down and wear people out. Sparked by a listener stuck in a tangle of outdated processes, they unpack how well-meaning rules morph into momentum killers—and what to do when speaking up feels like you’re just making it worse. With a blend of straight talk, lived experience, and a whole lot of Radical Candor, they offer a new playbook: lead with curiosity, advocate with clarity, and stop waiting for permission to fix what’s broken. This one’s for anyone who's tired of navigating systems built to say "no" when the work is begging for a "hell yes."

Get all of the show notes at RadicalCandor.com/podcast.

Episode Links:

Connect:

Chapters:

(00:00:00) Introduction
Jason and Amy introduce a listener’s question about streamlining approval processes.

(00:01:36) When Process Becomes a Trust Killer
How approval bottlenecks erode trust and lead to burnout.

(00:02:46) Approvals That Make Sense
Differentiating between meaningful and meaningless approvals.

(00:06:10) The Inertia of Bureaucracy
Why process isn’t evil—but rarely gets reexamined when it should.

(00:07:50) Communicating Up Without Escalating
How to discuss change without putting managers on the defensive.

(00:13:22) What Problem Is the Process Solving?
A practical script for questioning approval thresholds constructively.

(00:15:45) Software Purchase Saga
A story about approvals that made no one’s life better.

(00:20:19) Getting Specific vs. Talking in Patterns
Why it’s better to present one example rather than broad frustration.

(00:26:01) Role Play: The Rental Car Scenario
How to challenge a flawed process without triggering a shutdown.

(00:34:38) Finding a Third Way
Creating solutions that meet both employee and organizational goals.

(00:37:45) Radical Candor Tips
Tips to help you navigate bureaucracy with clarity, care, and results.

(00:43:34) Conclusion

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	You just realized your business needed to hire someone yesterday.
0:04.1	How can you find amazing candidates fast?
0:07.1	Easy. Just use Indeed.
0:09.6	Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites.
0:14.0	With Indeed sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates,
0:19.0	so you can reach the people you want faster.
0:22.7	According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted directly on Indeed have 45% more applications
0:29.0	than non-sponsored jobs. Don't wait any longer, speed up your hiring right now with Indeed.
0:34.7	And listeners of this show will get a £100-pound sponsored job credit
0:39.1	to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z-5.
0:45.6	Just go to Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z-5 right now
0:51.0	and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
0:55.9	Terms and Conditions apply. Hiring. Indeed is all you need. You just realized your business
1:01.6	needed to hire someone yesterday. How can you find amazing candidates fast? Easy. Just use Indeed.
1:09.7	Stop struggling to get your job post seen on other job sites. With Indeed
1:14.5	sponsored jobs, your post jumps to the top of the page for your relevant candidates,
1:19.1	so you can reach the people you want faster. According to Indeed data, sponsored jobs posted
1:25.8	directly on Indeed have 45% more applications than non-sponsored jobs.
1:31.0	Don't wait any longer. Speed up your hiring right now with Indeed. And listeners of this show will get a £100
1:37.5	sponsored job credit to get your jobs more visibility at Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z-5. Just go to Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z-5.
1:45.7	Just go to Indeed.com slash P-O-D-K-A-T-Z-5 right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast.
1:55.9	Terms and Conditions Apply. Hiring, Indeed is all you need.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Radical Candor, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Radical Candor and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.