How Come Dorothy Doesn't Finish Last?
I recently got stuck in a waiting room reading the only magazine with intact covers. The September 22, 2008 issue of Computerworld might seem to have little to do with this blog, The article by Virginia Robbins seemed to have little to do with computers either, which is probably why it caught my eye.
Nice Folks Really Do Finish First was about analyzing what it is about nice people who are successful versus nice people who do not experience success in work environments. Ms. Robbins suggests that being nice or kind is an asset in any environment as long as no one believes it will replace competence. In other words it is nice to remember co-workers birthdays with a card, but if you don't meet deadlines or pull your share of the load, nice won't cut it. Nice requires being able to contribute, but it also requires some toughness, especially if in a supervisory position. Being nice and avoiding necessary criticism or disciplinary actions because someone doesn't like conflict or confrontation only makes you unproductive.
The author writes about an acquaintance who guages her niceness by the tone of the other person's voice. If the other person sounds rushed, she is concise and brief so as not to slow them down or if terseness isn't required, she takes a few minutes to share a laugh or ask them how they are. At meetings, she observes expressions and then follows up with anyone who seems puzzled or concerned to make sure they understood the content and to get their input. As the person in charge she has learned to say, "No", without being short which adds a quality of anger on dislike to the receiver of the message. When she has to give a negative response, she is firm but polite and considerate and finds she gets more understanding regarding the reason and little to no back biting as a result.
I think what Ms. Robbin's friend has discovered is what Dorothy embodied. No matter what the situation, if people are noticed with kindness and acknowledged for contributions even when small, the reward in response and effort on the part of others is exponentially greater. The friend apparently learned this in an emergency visit to a hospital where her care seemed caught up in a strict bureaucracy and she was getting no response to her issue. She made up her mind to be kind to everyone she encountered, She thanked or complimented everyone from the intake nurse to the orderly and the doctor. As a result, everyone knew her name and her visitors were permitted to stay after hours, and her comfort was checked on even without the help of her call bell. Did this make her insincere? No, her compliments and comments carried weight because they were honest and heartfelt. The author's friend simply developed a way of looking for what was worth noticing and worthy of recognition in everyone around her.
Isn't that what Dorothy does? She sees the hope and promise in her companions and as a result they risk personal harm to help her achieve her goal.
Perhaps this is a skill we as social workers can embrace as well? Often we, in our own sense of being unappreciated or over looked, fail to acknowledge what it right with the people we work with.
This can include clients as well as coworkers and may help prove that no act of kindness is ever wasted.
2 comments:
Very interesting! I have often been accused of being too nice and thought it was interesting that the article you read said to be nice but not to the point that your work suffers. The example in your article was about throwing co-workers a party but I was actually thinking about my clients. I am often referred to as the good cop in my group but certainly cannot let my understanding and concerned nature keep my clients from getting better. I also liked that the article stated that you could repsond based on the other person's tone. Clearly in our careers we will have to react differently to many different persons and moods so I thought that was a great point to make in the article.
Wicked Witch of the West
How Come Dorothy Doesn’t Finish Last?
How come Dorothy doesn’t finish last? This writing discusses why “nice people are successful verses nice people who are not successful”. This is a very interesting concept that what sets people a part or how people are different. How others live their lives? What is it that people do on a consistent basis that makes them strive to be at their best or at the top of their game? I would suspect some form of persistence in the midst of adversity, consistency, sheer determination, and a perseverance to never give up. However, what are the emotional hang ups or the emotional sets backs in an individual’s life within the developmental stages of the life course perspective that sets the nice successful people apart from the nice people who are not successful? What is the difference in their developmental stages, experience, culture, and family scenarios? What come to mind are the Erickson’s stages of Psychosocial Development and how a person develops within each stage affects their outlook on life, relationships, and job performance. Hutchison (2008) Looking at the realities of how “nice folks finish first” in that agreeing that niceties, kindnesses, and attitude can go a long way with others more than one may realize. Those actions are never gone unnoticed within environments. However, the difference is when one does not feel appreciated for those actions, yet gets the job done. Speaking of which an honest days work of getting the job done is what a solid work ethic is all about when it comes to professionalism within any job regardless of the position, title, or pay. The principle of work is tied to the character of an individual who works diligently or not.
Communication within a working environment consists of the non-verbal, verbal, and the tone of the individual. How well a person is organized is important within different occupations. For example, a person in sales may not be the most organized person, but the top salesman or saleswoman of the company. The professionalism of communication and reading another’s body language whether in sales to know how a person is ready to buy or not to buy is part of communication. Recognizing a person’s readiness within different occupations shows an indirect link to the psychological and emotional aspects linked to customer service, clients, or patients.
Company morale, motivation, incentive, appreciation, and rewards for executing a job description is a way of taking care of not only the employees, but when a company takes care of their employees it ensures success for the company. When the employees are happy, then the customer clientele base, clients, and patients will be happier, satisfied, and statistically no retention loss of business within a company.
Last but not least, the kindnesses, facial expressions, tone of an individual’s voice, and physical demeanor affects the morale of a company and others of whom one works with as in comparison to planting the right kind of seed in order for the right atmosphere to grow in one’s life. An atmosphere that starts internally before it can have positive impacts on others externally, especially within a company goal of longevity. Not only the longevity of a company, but personal relationships, relationships with the community, and others as well.
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