Thu, June 18, 2009 - 2:07:54

You’ve Got a Friend When You Least Expect It

A few days ago, we were perusing the Wall Street Journal online and we came across a great opinion piece by Tony Woodlief called, “Ya Gotta Have (Real) Friends” in which he discusses the importance of having friendships offline.  In essence, Woodlief argues that with all the popularity (and sheer addictiveness) of social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter and the tremendous value they offer, we can’t forget about the powerful role genuine friendships play in our everyday lives. And it got us thinking about an important topic we discuss in THE POWER OF NICE: making friends in the business world is a key to success.  And the best people to start with?  Your enemies.

Sure, it might seem counterintuitive, but one of the best ways to get ahead is to make people your allies before they can become your adversaries.  In the highly competitive world of business, you may find that your rivals can offer you help when you least expect it.  After all, what exactly is an enemy, anyway?  Unless you’re waging war, we’d venture to guess that in everyday life you’re so-called enemies are just other individuals who have the power to wound your ego.  Maybe it’s the coworker who gets the promotion or the enigmatic exec from a competing firm.  But if recent events in history have shown us anything, it’s that cooperation, not antagonism, leads to the greatest successes.

So, turn the tables and use the power of your “enemies” to your advantage.  Instead of letting them hurt you, let them help you.  Once you get into the habit of making friends wherever you go, you’ll find you’ll always have one when you least expect it.  Here are a few tips to help you get started:

Embrace the enemy: Imagine your three biggest rivals and think of a way you could help each of them that wouldn’t be detrimental to you.  Next time you see them, surprise them with your offer of assistance.

Wave Hello:  Sure, it’s a basic human greeting, but a simple wave is also a signal to others that you come in peace.  So, instead of ignoring your rivals, put them at ease with a quick greeting.

If you don’t have anything nice to say: ...Think of something that is!  Imagine the three people who irk you the most and then come up with one genuine compliment about each of them.  At your next meeting, instead of not saying anything at all, you can say something nice.

How does friendship play a role in your daily business dealings?  We’d love to know, so please share your thoughts with a comment, find us on Facebook, or send us a Tweet!

Posted by Linda and Robin