The Nice Blog

Fri, July 23, 2010 - 10:54:00

Stopping Bullies Starts with NICE

Massachusetts’ recent passage of anti-bullying laws is the latest development in the continuing efforts to curb bullying in our nation’s schools. While the new statutes mark an important step forward, an Op-Ed in today’s New York Times explains that in order to truly conquer bullying, schools and parents must first lead by example to foster a culture of NICE and harness its power to effect substantive change.

As Susan Engel and Marlene Sandstrom write:

Children need to know that adults consider kindness and collaboration to be every bit as important as algebra and reading. In groups and one-on-one sessions, students and teachers should be having conversations about relationships every day. And, as obvious as it might sound, teachers can’t just preach kindness; they need to actually be nice to one another and to their students.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Fri, July 23, 2010 - 10:51:07

It Never Hurts To Listen

Earlier this week, you probably saw the story of Shirley Sherrod, Georgia director of rural development for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, as it made its way across news headlines. After a two-minute excerpt of a speech she had given at an NAACP meeting was posted online, Sherrod received a barrage of criticism from politicians on both sides of the aisle and was asked to resign from her position. But, as Peggy Noonan explains in today’s Wall Street Journal, it all turned out to be a huge misunderstanding: the clip was taken out of context and it made a speech about racial equality sound like just the opposite.

Although the White House has apologized for the week’s events and Sherrod has since been redeemed by the very person she appeared to malign in the video clip, the story should not be forgotten. Instead it serves as a reminder to all of us of what can happen when you rush to judgment and forget to listen to the whole story.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Tue, July 20, 2010 - 11:35:27

Fear Tactics Don’t Work at Work

This week on Business Week’s website, Liz Ryan lists 10 signs that you might be working in a fear-based environment—and, as you might have imagined her article really got us thinking. Although many managers still use this age-old tactic as a means to motivate their workforce, nearly every sign Ryan describes has the opposite effect. Instead of making employees work more efficiently, they become less effective and instead of productive, they become paralyzed.

British journalist Russell H. Ewing famously wrote, “A boss creates fear, a leader confidence.” But, unfortunately, “bossing” is practiced far too often. Fear-based work environments are often overrun with gossip, rumors, and a “Me vs. You” mentality and it can all be traced to several tell-tale signs of the fear-based office: secrecy, distrust, and lack of communication.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Sat, July 17, 2010 - 11:27:51

Can a Big Raise Make You Mean?

As the CEO and President of the Kaplan Thaler Group, we’ve learned first-hand that NICE is the most effective business philosophy. In the so-called “dog-eat-dog” corporate world, we’ve made it to the top not by stepping on the backs of others, but by smiling and shaking hands. 

In our book, we discuss how NICE people are happier, healthier, and luckier in love, and—contrary to what you might think—higher paid than their mean counterparts. But this week, one of our Twitter followers asked for our thoughts on a Wall Street Journal article entitled, “Does More Money Make CEO’s Mean?” and it begged the question: “Can a big raise turn a NICE guy mean?”

Posted by Linda and Robin
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Fri, July 09, 2010 - 3:16:02

Surprise! Warren Buffet’s Tips for Success Have Nothing to Do with Finance.

“If you’re in the luckiest 1 per cent of humanity, you owe it to the rest of humanity to think about the other 99 per cent.” –Warren Buffett

Warren Buffett might be best known for his multi-billion dollar bank account, but the CEO of Berkshire Hathaway is also famed for his generous philanthropy efforts and winning advice on everything from business to parenting.  And although he’s even been nicknamed the “Oracle of Omaha” for his stock picking savvy, he could just as easily have earned the moniker for his brilliant words of wisdom.

In a conversation with the Huffington Post’s Willow Bay, the so-called “Oracle” shows no signs of slowing down when it comes to dispensing great advice and was kind enough to share a few wise words he’s been told over the years. But, what might come as a surprise is that Buffett claims the best advice he ever received wasn’t about art of investing. Instead, it had everything to do with the way in which you treat others.

Posted by Linda and Robin
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