Eclectic Exchange Taster: Candid Conversations

Pixar has made a string of great movies including Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, and Finding Nemo. Pixar’s CEO, Ed Catmull, says one of the reasons for their success is candor. People have to be willing to say they feel if a plot line is confusing, if a character looks wrong, or if a joke is not funny. This can be difficult to do, especially after a writer or artist has put their heart into the work.

People have to be willing to speak up if a process is not working, if a manager isn’t giving clear directions, or if politics are undermining productivity. This can be difficult to do too, especially when you want to maintain good relationships with colleagues and do not want to offend your boss.

A ceaseless effort to enable candid conversations is necessary in every organization. Let’s look at how you can bring candid conversations to your work.

How it works:

Before the session
No preparation is required. You’ll receive a guidebook ahead of time and are welcome to browse it, but the session is designed to work without any prep.

During the session
Small groups of 4–6 meet for 90 minutes. You read a passage together, reflect individually, then discuss as peers.

After the session
Each person leaves with at least one concrete action commitment.

The objectives of this session are to:

• Learn techniques to enable candid conversations.
• Practice candid conversations.
• Appreciate how you can personally contribute to a culture of candor.