Sunday, October 17, 2010

Nice guy finish last? - taken from the same author

More and more research has shown that personal popularity is linked to great achievements at work. Good relations can actually be more important than strong capabilities at work.

According to Tim Sander's book, The Likeability Factor, which explores the positive effects on an attractive personality on one's life and career, life is a popularity contest. Everyone wants to work with someone they feel comfortable with, and personal popularity is almost always the key to victory in everything. A person who display psychological strengths is attractive. In other words, likeability is the capacity to present others with a positive emotional experience (such as making colleagues feel great about themselves).

The American Harvard Business Review (HBR) survey shows that people generally do not wish to work with an unpopular person, despite how capable he or she may be. They prefer a popular co-worker. Corporations used to focus on employees' competence in working and thinking, but more and more people are recognizing that an employee's unpopularity drives his own work efficiency downwards. If the employee distances himself from the clients or co-workers, he is of little good to the organisation no matter how shrewd or capable he is inherently.

Employee's likeability has an effect n customers. Studies show that customers' perception of the staff members who are serving them affect their general feelings about the relevant corporation. According to a particular study in North Carolina, when treated rudely, almost 60 per cent of the consumers will take their business elsewhere, even if they have to spend more effort and money to do so.

A restaurant owner in New York believes that a friendly waiter can influence how customers feel about the restaurant, and even negate the negative impact of any mistake made. Furthermore, a popular employee is more likely to get a raise and promotion. A relationship-builder is also usually more valuable to his organisation.

The above is very good to ponder of. No wonder the company where I work will go across the ocean just to find the right candidates who have a good personality, attitude and friendly.

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