I recently re-read one of my favorite “quick read” books – The Power of Nice – How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness, written by the team of Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. This book reminds us that “nice” companies have lower employee turnover, lower recruitment costs and higher productivity. Nice people live longer, are healthier and make more money. The book identifies the following six “Power of Nice” Principles:
1. Positive impressions are like seeds.
Every time you smile at a messenger, laugh at a co-worker’s joke, thank an assistant, or treat a total stranger with graciousness and respect, you throw off a positive energy wave that rolls out endlessly in all directions.
2. You never know.
You really never know who the next person you’re nice to knows or how they ultimately may connect back to you in some way. It is therefore important to treat EVERYONE nicely. Simply make it a habit not to discriminate when it comes to being nice to others.
3. People change.
People change, grow and take on new roles. None of us know who MIGHT become quite important to us five, ten or twenty years from now. Again, the simple message is to treat everyone with kindness – the bank teller, the grocery store check-out clerk, the young waiter who is paying his way through school to become a doctor.
4. Nice must be automatic.
It important to become skilled in the art of being nice – being nice must become a habit – something that is “second nature” to you. Small gestures and random acts of kindness can have an enormous impact.
5. Negative impressions are like germs.
Just as positive actions are like seeds, rude gestures and remarks are like germs – you may not see the impact they have on you for a while, but they are there, silently infecting you and everyone around you.
6. YOU will know.
Even if you never see a person you have treated with rudeness or bad behavior again, YOU will know. It will be on your mind and heart when you walk into a meeting and try to convince the people in the room they should put their faith in you. Your belief in yourself will be compromised and the negative energy you carry with you will ultimately manifest in some way to your disadvantage.
Be the role model for being nice to others. The energy of consistently being nice to others will return to you many times over. That is the POWER of nice.
Andy Robinson is a leading authority on career success and 15-year career coaching veteran.
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About Andy Robinson
Nice must be automatic. It sounds so easy, but the trick is in the implementation. Nice isn’t inherited, it’s learned. It takes lots of self-awareness and practice. Perceptions are shaped by the clarity of hindsight. In the moment of decision, you don’t have that advantage. Nice is real-time. But, once it takes hold in a culture, it will be contagious and worth the investment. Then, we can stop looking in the mirror and look forward.
A powerful tip to get started on practicing — work on your positive self talk (that running monologue in your head). If you are in a positive state of mind, looking for the positive in others, it will keep you open to being nice with others.
Presenting a positive attitude, even in a crisis is a sign of a leader. If people (employees) see the leader fret, sweat, or become nervous make the employees worry. I recently heard the term “raise the apples” – refering to smiling. Don’t just smile – showing a fake smile – employees can spot a fake smile a mile away. Instead, piture your cheeks as apples on strings and “raise the apples” (your cheeks).
“Nice must be automatic” – My grandfather once told me that “you catch more flies with honey than with vinegar” – words I live by on a daily basis.