Business Class
Make Nice (Work for You)
Do nice guys really
finish last? In a tough
economy, learning to
balance kindness with
assertiveness could
save your job—and help
you move ahead
BY RUSS EDELMAN
A security o cer—a self-professed “nice
guy”—just received bad news about his
job. He was going to be laid o . Everyone agreed he was a hard worker and a
team player, but the tough economy and
behind-the-scenes politics conspired to
make him a candidate for dismissal.
Typically, he wouldn’t want to
create any waves, and he was told the
decision was final. But, with nothing
to lose, he knew he had to make a case
for keeping his job. He went back to
his managers and pushed harder for
some other options. At the end of his
discussion, he retained his position,
albeit with a different schedule. The
lesson learned: Nice is critical in the
workforce, as is asserting yourself in
an appropriate fashion.
We’ve all heard the old maxim “nice
guys finish last.” Nonetheless, “nice” is
consistently ranked as one of the top five
most desirable attributes in co-workers
and employees, because it embodies respect, empathy and authenticity—all key
attributes to getting a job done well.
But in a tough economy, should nice
be sacrificed?
Nice in the Workplace
The majority of people want to work with
nice co-workers—for real reasons that
a ect the bottom line. According to a survey of 25 CEOs and executives at major
U.S. corporations, including Disney and
Ernst & Young, the absence of nice in the
o ce would remove much of the trust,
motivation and desire to work at a company. The perception was that workers
would feel they were going to a jail every
day rather than to a job.
To truly succeed, though, nice people
have to learn to have candid and honest
discussions, especially in a bad economy.
Unfortunately, managers and business-people often associate this with the selfish jerks who bully their way through
the o ce.
“Business, whether we like it or
not, includes competition,” says Sam
DiPiazza Jr., CEO of Pricewaterhouse-Coopers. “It is challenging, aggressive
and very demanding. And despite the
perception of many, it can also be performed nicely.”
