You might not be an X-Factor fan, but Cowell’s style, while over-the-top, is relevant for managers today.

Cowell rose to fame and fortune on the basis of his brutal honesty, ignoring conventions of politeness to give candid feedback. Yes, he’s unnecessarily mean and nasty – well, it is a TV show! – but he’s also one of the world’s foremost practitioners of a certain word: candor.

In business we advocate honesty in communications between employees and managers, within teams, and between boards and executives.

The British tend to expect (and offer) frank, even harsh feedback in many realms of life except for the workplace. Whether it be aimed at reality television, politicians or perhaps a premier footballer receiving blistering criticism for failing to produce the goals needed to justify his £200,000 a week salary.

Sports and the military are the two places in which we’ve come to expect honest, sometimes harsh, feedback. It’s probably no coincidence that a lot of renowned leaders spent time playing sports or serving in the military during their formative years.

Many workplaces tend to have too much politeness, and too little candor. It’s hard to talk about our shortcomings, or those of the people who work for us. Many managers find it hard to give negative feedback during performance reviews. Particularly for those roles that have murky performance metrics.

It’s also hard to be on the receiving end of honest criticism, particularly for people who’ve had a track record of being successful, or who’ve been brought up in our increasingly ‘because you’re worth it’, grade-inflated, every-child-gets-a-trophy society.

But we’re told that the Millennial generation crave a constant stream of feedback and are in a hurry for success. And many of our delegates tell us they want their boss to be someone who will give them straight feedback.

In other words, maybe workplaces could use a few more, kinder, gentler versions of Simon Cowell, to help us all have a better sense of where we stand and what we need to improve.

Candor is a great tool in the workplace if used correctly. And while tact needs to be employed, candor will engender respect and cooperation. Just ask the X-Factor contestants!

Interested in improving your feedback skills? Have a look at our ‘Tough Conversations’ short session course, or contact us to discuss a tailored option.