This week, Life Training Online is reviewing The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World With Kindness
Sweeten the Deal
Research done by such notable psychologists as David G. Myers and Ruut Veenhoven have shown that people who are in a good mood are more likely to help others. And there’s nothing better to raise someone’s mood than with a sweet word or gesture.
Simple acts such as offering a client candy during a presentation or engaging in a little humorous banter with your co-workers can do a lot to improve another’s mood and create an environment much more conducive to open cooperation.
If you make the effort to “sweeten” your surroundings with smiles, gestures, humor and small gifts, you will see that these “little” things end up returning back to you — many times over. By small and simple things, great things happen.
Help Your Enemies
Turning the cheek is probably one of the more difficult things to do in life. It’s human nature to want to get even with those who have wronged us. But in actuality, helping your “enemies” can become very valuable to you.
Much of life isn’t strictly Me vs. You. We live in a world that requires that we cooperate and work in teams with people. And although we might be technically “competing” with someone else, it’s cooperation that beats out competition 9 times out 10. When you can creatively figure out how to work with your competition, you open up the door to a synergistic relationship. Cooperation fosters creativity and creativity is always improved when multiple heads are involved.
Today’s adversaries may just be tomorrow’s allies…
Tell the Truth
Honesty is essential to success in any undertaking. With the fabulous examples of WorldCom and Enron, we see the real merit behind dishonesty — that there is none.
Telling the truth is one of the best ways to get ahead in the world. Because trust is so important in any relationship — be it personal or professional — if you have someone’s complete trust, your circle of influence with that person will have no bounds. In the work place this translates to greater responsibilities and ultimately greater positions.
The Power of Nice is the seventh of fifty-two books in Life Training – Online’s series 52 Personal Development Books in 52 Weeks.
