We’ve all heard the expression “Nice girls finish last.”  We’ve been told that nice girls don’t get the corner office, or we have to be ambitchous to get ahead. I believe nice girls can and do finish first.

In my experience, having a positive, friendly disposition can be a valuable career asset. And organizations that leverage the very qualities attributed to women like integrity and caring, honesty and empathy, service to the greater good and intuition of our interconnectedness will take the lead.

Research backs me up on this. A study published in the Harvard Business Review found that personal feelings toward someone are more significant in the formation of productive work relationships than how competent the person is. So being nice does count.

Learn the 10 Tips to leverage your ‘being nice’ at work in our feature article.  Read 'Does being nice help or hinder you at work?'

Also speaking of interconnectedness, stay tuned for our announcement about our latest project that brings differing workplace opinions together to create collaborative solutions. We will be sending you an invitation shortly.

Wishing you success that’s balanced,

Does being nice help or hinder you at work?
by Lisa Martin, The Working Mother's Coach 

Are you pushy, a pushover or somewhere in between? Perhaps it’s time for you to see where you sit on the “niceness meter.”

As the business world becomes increasingly global, your ability to connect and collaborate with teams of employees and outside contacts is especially important. Those who are pleasant and easy to get along with, in other words are “nice”, will have the greatest success in forming effective professional partnerships and moving their careers forward with less effort.

Being nice at work boils down to respecting the opinions of co-workers, offering colleagues assistance when needed, and being courteous in all your interactions. But being nice also has a dark side. This is the ever-present danger of being too nice, of being a pushover.

Perhaps you try so hard to be liked that at times you are less than forthright, even when the situation calls for you to take a stand. This may make you appear uncertain as a leader or out of touch with reality. Being overly accommodating can also cause you to shoulder more than your share of work, lose out on promotion opportunities, or suffer from burnout.  MORE

What does being nice mean to me?