You’ve seen signs like this one before. Why ask nicely? People would just ignore this request if it were worded nicely, wouldn’t they? So, let’s go ahead and insult them knowing they’re going to ignore our request. We’ll just call them pigs right off the bat. Welcome to a world that often struggles with being nice.
Some time back a gentleman remarked to me, “When did we lose our civility?” I wasn’t sure if we ever had it, but it did cause me to ponder the topic more deeply. For instance, I considered why I enjoyed the TV show, House. Yes, I admit it. I enjoyed it. I even DVR’d it. Yes, the main character was a royal jerk. He was also quite adept at sarcasm, a skill I’m rather fond of. But civility escapes him. It’s as though he couldn’t be bothered with being kind. He knew he was a jerk. Brilliant, but still a jerk. I don’t think for a moment that his lack of civility made him more brilliant. Just consider how much more brilliant he’d have been if he were a nice guy (or maybe just a little bit nicer). Might not make for a terrific TV show, but he’d be a world-class doctor, wouldn’t he?
Back in 2010 Andrew Warner, owner of Mixergy, interviewed Noah Everett, the young man who started Twitpic. The most refreshing thing about Noah Everett was his integrity and niceness. Just scroll through the transcript of the interview (or become a Mixergy Premium member and you can watch the interview – I have no affiliate relationship). The young man clearly was brought up by parents who loved him enough to instill in him the power of being a good guy. I love his Twitter tagline, “The nice guy that finished first – founder of Twitpic.” Noah proves it pays. By the way, his parents didn’t do so bad with his name either.
Just a few days ago Noah announced an agreement with Twitter. Twitpic is shutting down. I don’t know what’s in store for Noah. I don’t even know Noah, except through his social media presence – and that interview Andrew did with him almost 5 years ago. But he seems like a nice guy who finished first once, and I’m convinced he can do it again. ‘Cause nice guys can always find a way. Good luck, Noah!
About the hosts: Randy Cantrell brings over 4 decades of experience as a business leader and organization builder. Lisa Norris brings almost 3 decades of experience in HR and all things "people." Their shared passion for leadership and developing high-performing cultures provoked them to focus the Grow Great podcast on city government leadership.
The work is about achieving unprecedented success through accelerated learning in helping leaders and executives "figure it out."