[Diane's note: I'm off dealing with my website relaunch this week, but thought I'd run a review of a book I haven't read, by my www.womensDISH.com colleague, Susan Hammond.]
The Power of Nice reviewed by guest reviewer Susan Hammond.
From time to time I reread the Power of Nice: How to Conquer the Business World with Kindness by Linda Kaplan Thaler and Robin Koval. It’s a quick read on the topic of being nice, and I always find something I new.
Here are a few of the tidbits and musings I found most interesting this time through:
- The Power of Nice Principle Number 6: You will know. This principle reminds us that even if we never again see the person we treated badly, we will know when we haven’t been nice. Long term, this behavior can add to any lack-of-self-esteem issues you might have and jeopardize the successful outcome of a meeting or a relationship. As I write this, Aretha Franklin’s song about R-E-S-P-E-C-T comes to mind.
- The Waffle Ice Cream Cone. During the 1904 World’s Fair the ice cream vendor ran out of bowls to serve his customers. Next to him was a Persian waffle vendor who, rather than turn his back thinking it wasn’t his problem, rolled up a waffle and plopped the ice cream in, creating an early version of the ice cream cone. Both vendors went on to have good sales that day and the waffle vendor went on to make a fortune.
- Teaching Someone to Fish. I have had the opportunity to do a lot of mentoring. The more astute individual always wants to thank me in some material way. I tell them that the greatest thanks is to know that years down the road, when approached by someone just starting out, the individual remembers our work together and provides a helping hand.
- The Power of Nice Principle Number 1: Positive impressions are like seeds. At networking events, really look at and listen to the person speaking to you and remember to smile. Make them feel as if there is no one more important in the room. While you will never know if future good fortune is tied to this specific act you, will have changed the energy in the room and beyond, and you just never know. . .
- Come in Peace. Waving hello, bringing flowers to dinner and clinking glasses–these simple gestures of friendship and niceness started with our ancestors. Waving hello was a way to show the other person you weren’t armed. Bringing flowers and gifts to a neighbor demonstrated good intentions when entering another’s home. Glasses were clinked to cause the contents to slosh together and then everyone knew no one was being poisoned. Next time you’re in a meeting, particularly one that deals with a difficult matter, think about what your body language is saying. What simple gesture can you make to put others at ease?
The Top Shelf Bottom Line: Diane writes: I tend to take Susan’s advice on a lot of things, so maybe I should read this book. Although I probably needed it much more in corporate America (where I had a few “not so nice” moments). But even as an entrepreneur, I still tend to be blunt and “tell it like it is,” and that’s probably much more acceptable if done in a “nice” way. I’ll add this to my summer reading list!
This entry was posted on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 6:38 am and is filed under Nonfiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.2 Responses to “Why Be Nice?”
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May 22nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
the secret
Loving: “ Love is the highest energy and the most powerful one of all. In intending, there must be love so that creativity and abundance can take place. Love is the expression of you to grow and become what you are capable of being. For instance, if …
July 6th, 2008 at 5:33 am
Linda Kaplan Thaler is a huge hypocrit. She writes a book on the power of kindness yet she is now sitting next to the likes of Gene Simmons, helping to soul rape auditioners on the new show CBS Jingles. They start insulting some auditioners as soon as they enter the room. How does that equate to her book. I guess her philosophy is thrown out the window at the chance to market herself and make a buck. What a joke.