Why Being Nice is such a Double-Edged Sword

The Art of Leadership Newsletter

In this month’s newsletter, we continue exploring the themes emerging from our major study of executive coaching. The research highlights that developing workplace relationship skills is a primary focus area for executives. In this month’s blog, we focus on one aspect of relationship skills: namely, the critical difference between “building relationships” and “being nice”.

Put simply, “being nice” results in avoiding having difficult conversations. We know they are hard, so to support you have these conversations successfully, we’ve created a step-by-step guide. You can download it below.

Warm regards

Founding Partner

Why Being Nice is such a Double-Edged Sword

It’s human to want to be liked at work.. But it can come with a high cost. Prioritising niceness often means dialling-down on being honest or critical, and sometimes that isn’t the best strategy for your career, or your organisation.

If you are concerned with “being nice”, you’re not alone. In a study of 1,000 full-time employees across the U.S., 63% of respondents said they’ve chosen not to share a concern or negative feedback at work because they didn’t want to seem combative, uncooperative, or be viewed in a negative light.

Respondents said it’s important to be considered nice by their co-workers for these top three reasons:

They find work is more enjoyable when they get along with their colleagues.
It makes it easier to get things done.
They will get more interesting work/more opportunities if people like working with them.

Why it’s seductive, (and dangerous) to be agreeable

It’s human nature to be agreeable – it seems like a natural way to build a sense of connection. The willingness to be “part of the team” has been rewarded through our evolution as a species. We have evolved as a fangless, clawless creatures, who cannot outrun many of our predators or prey, and yet we find ourselves at the pinnacle of the food chain. Our capacity to collaborate in groups has meant that humans have often been required to be wired for connection, and willing to sacrifice their own interests for the greater good. From the time we’re young, we’re encouraged to be “nice and polite”, which often means we’re trained to be ineffective in conversations. The saying, ‘If you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all’ can get in the way if you don’t have communication skills to engage in important conversations when the challenges or stakes are higher.

Research by neuroscientist Matthew Lieberman shows our brains are particularly sensitive to what he calls “social pain”, (e.g. heartbreak, exclusion, or rejection). His research also¹ demonstrates a surprising truth: our brain experiences social pain in the same way that our bodies experience physical pain. To illustrate the point, Lieberman shows that if someone takes a common pain killers such as Tylenol before being exposed to social pain, they feel it less.

The net effect of this is that often “being nice” to fit in socially could mean we don’t ask questions, or disagree when we believe something is wrong. “Going along to get along” might make us feel better in the short term, but the cost is that it often sees us being swept along in the popular tide. In some notable cases this popular tide washed up for some organisations into the Banking Royal Commission. If we’re fearful or don’t have the necessary skills, we tiptoe around issues. To grow as a leader, this needs to shift.

Niceness comes with a cost

This desire to be agreeable or “nice” can eventually lead to personal unhappiness in several instances. For example, a leader may avoid confronting an employee on their lack of delivery, or their disruptive behaviour, either ignoring it or pushing it off on the HR department. The desire to be agreeable can sap us of our courage to say hard things, to experiment, to surface conflict. But the disagreement is still there. And it leaks out in sometime imperceptible, yet destructive ways, such as the non-compliance with decisions the group has made. In the pre-meetings to get people on-board with me before the real meetings, or in the meetings after the meetings we have when we say all the things we wanted to but didn’t. This can be extremely time-consuming, and leaves employees guessing, doubting themselves, and using up energy that would better be used in getting the real work done. This breeds far more doubt and toxicity than taking a deep breath and saying, ‘Look, John, this is what I’ve noticed. Talk with me more about this.’

It’s better to engage in the real issues instead of circumventing them.

Creating a culture of communication

Honest conversations aren’t easy, but companies can create a culture in which they are the norm.

To create a culture of open communication, leaders have to model the behaviour they want to see – and be open to perspectives that are different to their own. US leadership consultant Catherine Fitzgerald uses a technique which she calls, “confront only to deepen”. In this approach, the central question a leader should ask is, “Can this conflict serve to deepen this relationship?” In other words, through listening and understanding, is it possible to find a better solution that neither party has considered before.

When individuals are able to confront issues together in an open and constructive way, most often the result is a deeper more trusting relationship, not a fractured one.

In other words, we need to reframe what “nice” really means. Is it nice that we beat around a topic, guess, or simply get swept along in what looks like it is “the safe thing”? Or do you believe that you are part of the team because you have some value to contribute? Remember, it really is possible that you can be respectful and demonstrate good intentions, whilst at the same time challenging your manager. Often, our greatest risk and pain comes from when we don’t engage at all.

Lieberman, Social: Why Our Brains Are Wired To Connect (Crown, 2013)

About the Author:

Andrew Wynne, Executive Coach and Leadership Practitioner

Andrew is an experienced coach, consultant and facilitator, with over three decades of experience in consulting and professional services across three continents.

Download our step-by-step guide on navigating Challenging Conversations.

Authored by Dr Gabrielle Ostrogney, and yours free to download. This step-by-step guide provides you with the tools, preparation and examples needed to successfully navigate the difficult conversations you face.

What’s On

Executive Presence and Impact Workshop : The key to Confidence

Join us for our final Sydney workshop for 2019 with Executive Communications Coach and former Theatre Director, Peter Kingston.

Attending Peter’s insightful and interactive one-day workshop will give you new found ability to communicate with conviction and confidence.

If you are a leader wanting to ensure you have impact, influence, and effective negotiation skills – then look no further!

“Peter was great, his approach and personality encouraged people to open up and get feedback from the group which was extremely powerful.”

SYDNEY: Executive Presence and Impact Workshop, 14 November 2019

On next week – Perspectives on Leadership for Women Program – Brisbane

The Perspectives on Leadership for Women program focuses on personal presence and communication, resilience, change and complexity. Specifically designed for female leaders, learn how to drive change and establish your goals to achieve professional growth. Refine your leadership skills with the support of both face-to-face workshops and executive coaching sessions.

Brisbane – Perspectives on Leadership for Women – 25 October & 29 November

Last chance for the Masterclass: Five steps to developing your executive presence

Following on from our popular Executive Presence and Impact workshops, and the release of the AFR Boss article detailing the steps to executive presence, Mehul Joshi will be facilitating a complimentary Masterclass ‘Five steps to developing your executive presence’ in Sydney and Melbourne. This fascinating session will provide insight into the neuroscience of our reaction under pressure, practical examples, ways to master your demeanour, and how to deliver with authenticity & integrity.

This is your opportunity to be face to face with a recognised thought leader in the field for an in-depth exploration of how to improve your presence and impact.

For more information on the Sydney (17th October) or Melbourne (30th October) masterclass: please email events@smgrp.com.au.

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