Transcripts

Linda Kaplan Thaler, co-author of the book The Power of Nice, says we can probably all work on being nicer and the fact is that being nice is a great way to become and stay successful.

When you look at the really great CEO's, they are some of the nicest people I've ever interacted with. Michael Dell (I don't know him personally) - here's a man who answers all his own emails. I worked on Bill Clinton's campaign in ' 92 - he remembered every single person's name. You have a conversation with him, he looks you right in the eye. This is true power - the power to make people feel like they are listened to, like they are cared about.

Putting a positive focus on the other person will make you nicer.

We all think we're starring in our own movie, but the fact is there's no audience out there really watching it. So, getting into someone else's movie is probably the best way to start a business relationship with somebody - or to start any kind of collaboration. How do you work in such a way that somebody else actually feels your idea is their idea as well? Harry Truman once said, "You can accomplish anything in your lifetime as long as you're willing to not worry about who takes credit for it." That's the counter-intuitive thought that really can make you successful.

At somethingyoushouldknow.net I'm Mike Carruthers and that's Something You Should Know.