A Pleasure to Help You?

Martha Stewart keynoted a conference I recently attended and remarked to the audience that it seemed to be part of our culture to build people up, delight when they tumble down, then celebrate when they are triumphant once more.

That may be well in true in her experience. But I think it may also be a part of our culture to be more helpful to people you like and perhaps not so helpful to people you don’t like. To many of us, helping others feels good. Especially if we feel the person deserves and appreciates it.

A CareerJournal article “Does Niceness Help the Bottom Line?” reviewed two recently released books on this topic, and it got me thinking about the power of nice in networking. 

To me, being nice isn’t about being a pushover.  It’s about consistently treating others with respect and dignity.  ALL others.  Not just the ones you want something from. Successful networkers are able to get help from people who want to help them. They make a good first impression by being warm and pleasant.  They develop rapport, listen and offer help themselves.  Above all, their kindness is genuine.  It’s not a tactic, but part of who they are.

© 2006, Liz Lynch
Liz Lynch is founder and executive director of the Center for Networking Excellence which develops products and programs to help professionals learn how to build profitable relationships. If you're ready to start networking smarter, get your free networking tips now at www.NetworkingExcellence.com .