I just finished reading a book entitled “The Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness” by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval.
What a power house book. I highly recommend it for reading. The premise is that being nice is just simply easier than any other method of getting business done. It explains how the common belief is being stern in business is good for the bottom line. But, the book goes through many scenarios that prove that this just isn’t true. Thoughout the book, there are excercises, called “nice cubes”, which give you the opportunity to go out and practice being nice. One thing the book makes clear is that being nice is NOT about being a doormat. It’s more about respecting others as much as you respect yourself. My favorite section was at the end when it talks about listening. As they mention, Larry King once said, “I have never learned anything while I was talking.”
There’s a story in book where a guy was driving home from work everyday. Along the way was this homeless guy always on the same corner. Everyday he would stop and give the guy whatever change he had in his pocket. This had gone on for quite a while. One day, he was driving home, and he saw the guy dressed in a suit. The guy came up to his car, and thanked him and had said that the money he had collected allowed him to get back on his feet and get a job. I thought it was a pretty powerful story about how simple kindness can make a huge difference in someone elses’s life.
I highly recommend this book for anyone wishing to improve thier nice factor, or that just want to see how to possibly take their businesses or careers to the next level.
Enjoy,
Jerry