Loud Thinking June 27, 2014 at 01:03PM
When It Doesn’t Help to Be Too Nice
No one wants to be the bad guy. But for a leader, being too nice can be inefficient and irresponsible when you have to make a tough call. Don’t fall into these “too nice” traps:
Avoiding confrontation.
Sometimes a new hire just can’t cut it. Letting the employee continue to flounder is arguably more cruel than firing him. Be kind, but be clear. Help the person transition to somewhere he can succeed.
Becoming the doormat.
When you’re too nice — to people who miss deadlines or don’t do their work — people will take advantage of you. You don’t need to be severe to be respected, but you should hold your organization up to certain standards and make sure people meet them.
Shunning introspection.
Think of this as “being too nice to yourself.” Face the hard truths about yourself, and give employees the space to share their feedback too. You’ll get valuable perspective and you’ll mature as a leader.
Adapted by HBR from “ The Problem with Being Too Nice” by Michael Fertik.
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