3 ideas
Feedback behavior is plotted on two axes: how much you care personally about the person and how willing you are to challenge them directly. High on both is radical candor. Care without challenge is ruinous empathy, challenge without care is obnoxious aggression, and neither is manipulative insincerity.
Scott argues most managers fail not by being harsh but by withholding criticism to spare feelings or avoid awkwardness. The person is denied the information they need to improve, so the problem compounds until it ends in a firing or a failure that feels sudden to them. The kindness is short-term comfort bought at the cost of the other person's long-term success.
A boss should first ask for criticism of their own work and reward it visibly before giving criticism to others. Taking criticism well shows that candor is safe and flows in both directions, which earns the trust that makes the boss's own challenges land as care rather than attack. Asking vague questions like 'any feedback?' fails. The boss must ask a specific question and endure the silence until someone answers.