The Power of Nice

Earlier this week I read an article in The Times extolling the virtues of being 'nice' at work. The gist of it being that 'nice' people  are recommended and get promoted more readily, have better working relationships with team and staff, have a better reputation and are certainly coming out on top during this current , ongoing economic downturn.

According to the excellent article by Jessica Pryce-Jones, we first understood the power of being nice at work in the 80's when a study was carried out at Lingnan University, Hong Kong.  It showed that 'nice leaders got more out of people than nasty ones'!

Well I'm sorry but...

NO SHIT SHERLOCK!

Surely it's obvious!  We can count the cost of poor leaders who exercise power through fear and bullying.  They lose team members, their employees spend more time and effort covering their backs rather than getting on with their jobs and also, negative emotion spreads within a social network, which includes clients and customers.

Jessica, CEO of the iOpener Institute for People & Performance says that research has estimated the cost of having a miserable boss 'adds up to about £3,378,000 per 1000 employees in terms of sick leave, employee turnover and the reduced time that staff focus on their work.'

So, what does this mean for you in your leadership roles?  Does it mean you have to be a wimp or a walkover?  No!  It simply means you treat people with respect, listen to them, be accountable for what you do and say, be courteous, cheerful, authentic, dedicated and learn to say thank you and also 'sorry'.

And remember, in times like these, when companies are reducing their employment advertising by taking on their new staff through recommendations and networks it really does pay to be NICE!