Frank Burns on “M*A*S*H” once declared, “It’s nice to be nice to the nice.”
Sally Glick, one of the captivating writers on our Bloggers Crew, posted a piece on Monday that really caught my eye. Titled On The Importance of Being Nice, her piece really hit home with me.
Sally mentioned that a business association panelist stated to attendees, “While it is nice to be important, it is even more important to be nice.” I think most of us would rather work with clients, business partners, and co-workers who are “nice,” treating people with respect and courtesy. I venture to guess that most people would rather make $1,000 from a nice and pleasant client, than make $1,100 from a client who is a jerk. There’s typically a lot of angst and frustration associated with that extra $100. Agree? Disagree? Post your comments.
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Gail Perry, CPA
Nice to be Nice
In response to the article on "Nice to be Nice"...what I hear from most people is that those at the top, got there from being nice and yet, cut throat as well. The level of yes, psychopaths at the top of the corporate heirarchy or in top positions, insure that those that are nice and more intelligent often don't rise to the top level. The result is at least in accounting, that basic GAAP and SEC rules are ignored, and often these managers and CFO's don't have the skills to even know that their decisions are violating accounting industry standards in public companies. When I say psychopaths, as many as 5% by clinical definition, are indeed in positions of authority and bluffing their way throught their jobs...They appear as wonderful people until you work under one and you are more qualified and they are threatened in any way. As far as I know, Accounting Web,has not addressed the impact of these people on not just those who have to work with them, but the violation and illegality in some cases of the decisions they make. They are perfect in large corporations where the bottom line is the priority and often it doesn't matter how that bottom line is inflated. I have run into two of these "types" of managers...Once in power, their hire the least qualified support staff, that they "feel will not threaten them". Hires are often "loyalty" hires and have nothing to do with their experience and qualifications.