Be Good to People at Work: It’s Not that Hard to Do.

{Click here to read the original article on LinkedIn.}

I enjoy receiving LinkedIn’s #DailyRunDown as there are a variety of topics mentioned and there are always one or two that catch my eye. Just the other day on August 5th, the subjects covered everything from, Why Aren’t Americans Moving? To Why Being Nice at Work Pays Off.

The reference to being, “Nice at Work” struck a chord with me since I have heard many stories, pro and con, about how people feel they are treated at work sometimes. I’m sure we also all have our own personal stories from the companies where we have worked and colleagues who we have interacted with.

I think being nice to people at work also ties in with corporate culture, the skills with or lack thereof for emotional intelligence, and the basic ability for having empathy for others when they need our support.

The act of caring and supporting others we work with is one the five key practices in James Kouzes and Barry Posner’s bestselling book, The Leadership Challenge. They call it, “Encouraging the Heart”, and they show how powerful it can be when you are rewarding, recognizing, and encouraging others around you.

There’s another excellent book on the subject that I recommend by Mark Crowley called Lead from the Heart. Mark writes about this often in his posts on LinkedIn.

Being nice at work and its impact on corporate culture is something I believe in so much. I have been fortunate to have worked with some terrific companies in my career. I have seen how a positive and supportive culture can drive teamwork and outstanding results.

More often than not the most successful companies are the ones where culture is highly valued and recognized by colleagues at all levels of the organization.

So does that mean we need to be always cheering people, never criticizing, and always having a happy face on? Of course not, in fact, honesty, directness, and even a dose of conflict is needed for companies to succeed. It is a key ingredient in Patrick Lencioni’s The Five Dysfunctions of a Team. He shows the value and need for some conflict to have a healthy organization.

I have a number courses on LinkedIn Learning/Lynda.com. In one of the videos, I address the very issue of, “Being Good to People”. It is just a few minutes long so as you watch it, when I say the word “sales,” just plug in your own profession, whether it be IT specialist, copywriter, marketer, accountant, or whatever, as the lessons apply to any job function.

Some people just “get it”, and know the value of being supportive to others and being a trusted, valued and “good” coworker.

Those are the people that I want align myself with. So, give it a try, focus more on being nicer to people at work. It will make you and your coworkers feel better and I am quite sure it will pay you back in so many positive ways!