BUSINESS BASICS NUMBER 2
Did you ever notice that some people seem to be much better than others at winning friends and influencing people? You might have another way of saying the same thing. We all understand the topic. Some people are nice and some people are not nice.
An important business basic is simply being nice. Regardless of whether people admit it, this human reality is undeniable: people enjoy working with nice people. All things being equal, if I had to spend an entire workday with Mother Teresa or Godzilla, I would go with the sister. Wouldn’t you?
In the business world, it can be easy to rationalize ratty behavior under the guise that people do not have to like me, but they must respect me. We can affirm that I am not here to be make friends, but I am here to get the job done. Yes, we have lots of excuses for mistreating other people. In spite of all our excuses, refusing to be nice is a poor strategy.
Forrest Lucas launched Lucas Oil Products in 1989. The company now sells about 200 products in many countries. In an interview with Fortune , Lucas makes a telling observation about leadership (Eng, Dinah. “How I Got Started: The Making of an Oil Empire.” February 27, 2012, pp. 23-27). He was reflecting on his observations of many different people in high-level positions. In so doing, he was watching for common traits:
“ All the guys who made it to the top were nice people. So it’s part of my philosophy to be nice. I don’t have a single rude person working for me. ” (p. 24)
Lucas so believes in this philosophy, he simply won’t have a person in his employ that is rude. I resonate strongly with Lucas. I have always observed that the best colleagues make you want to work with them just based on how they treat you.
Obviously, being nice doesn’t mean we don’t hold our direct reports accountable. Being nice doesn’t mean we don’t make tough decisions when necessary. Being nice does mean we treat each other with respect and dignity regardless of the situation.
Ultimately, being nice is a business basic for two powerful reasons:
- Being nice makes good business sense. Your business will do better when you and your people are nice.
- Being nice makes good personal sense. This is a quality that helps you to sleep at night, and who doesn’t like good sleep?
