You're Too Nice — and It's Holding You Back

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You’re a good person. We all want to believe we’re good people, and honestly, most people try to live up to that ideal. Wealthy or not, successful or not, people want to be good — on the way up, in the middle of the journey, or already at the higher spheres. This is a universal truth.

But being a “good person” isn’t the same as being a “nice person”…and a lot of people confuse the two to their detriment. In fact, being good means sometimes *not* being particularly nice.

• Nice is often inauthentic. Nice people are helpful and go out of their way to make others feel comfortable…even when they’re not always advocating for what they honestly believe or want. The barometer lies outside of themselves.

• Good stands up for what they believe in. Good people often hold fast to an internal standard that may be very high and just…but they’ll have hard and honest conversations that make people uncomfortable. It’s not intentional cruelty, malice, or ego. Authentic honesty holds you to a different standard than “nice.” It’s about what you know to be true and what you need.

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So what does all of this have to do with business? Turns out, pretty much everything. The kind of leader you become, the way you rise, and even how you feel on the journey will have everything to do with how nice you try to be.

Trying to be “nice” holds people back; those who are authentic and honest drive forward faster. I’ll ask you to challenge yourself here, really think about who you are and what you want, and keep an open mind about how you may be limiting yourself..and your professional aspirations. 

Here’s the compelling case for not being so nice, and some areas to make some important shifts.