Being nice may hurt your career, as counterintuitive as that may sound. But this does not mean you should not be kind and strive to excel at your job. To the contrary, you should focus on these things as they will be keys to your success and they will make you an invaluable asset to an organization as well. As part of these efforts you have to position yourself for long-term success, avoid burn-out and manage your own career even if you have a boss who is a bad manager.
“Learn the difference between being nice and being kind. Then focus on these tactics that will not only help you but benefit everyone around you….A client told me recently that they wanted to be promoted, but felt their “niceness” was getting in the way. As they wondered aloud whether they needed to have a harder edge to get ahead, I couldn’t say no fast enough. I do not recommend you bully, steamroll or coerce anyone to advance your career. In fact, some of the kindest and most genuine people I have met happen to be global leaders of large companies. Being mean did not pave their path to the top. Rather, their upward climb was a result of being great at their jobs and having the ability to earn respect….Here are three ways to stop being “nice” and focus on tactics that will help not only you but benefit everyone around you.”
Read: Being ‘nice’ can actually hurt your career. Do these three things instead at FastCompany