Whoever came up with this statement clearly could have given it some additional thought. Because, at least according to my experience, being nice doesn’t put you at a disadvantage.
In fact, as I consider the personal and professional experiences I’ve engaged in throughout my life so far, regularly, nice people end up finishing way ahead of others.
Certainly, being nice is often underrepresented, and underreported. Too often, we hear bad news before good news, and the names that always seem to pop into our heads are often newsmakers who are controversial or gain bad press.
But, over the long run, being nice ends up providing us with greater gains. While we might not always be at the forefront of everyone’s mind, we’re held in high regard deep within people’s being. That means that as leaders we have to welcome the long-term feeling that being nice provides, and accept the more hidden nature of it.
And, being nice isn’t always easy. While I consistently try to put my nicest face forward at all times, I know that there are times when I miss the mark, or I’m too stressed, to truly be at my nicest.
That is all within my control, though, and I know that I can continue to work towards making “nice” a way of life, each and every day.
As a final note, being nice doesn’t mean not being blunt, or not providing constructive feedback. We can still showcase the power of nice while at the same time letting others know how we feel. The benefit is that if we’ve built up trust through our behavior, than a critique won’t ever erode the relationships we’ve formed with others.